I had a play in an NCAA game. In one half of an inning an appeal was made at first that a player did not touch base. I didn’t know. He may not have, I didn’t see it. I had an argument. I said I did not see it. I had a mental conference with …
JIMMY PIERSALL On June 23, 1963 knowing that his teammate Duke Snider didn’t receive much attention for hitting his 400th career homerun earlier in the season, New York Mets outfielder Jimmy Piersall thought up an idea to get more attention as his 100th career homerun was soon to be accomplished. “He practiced doing it!” Dallas …
This page talks about the history of pitching according to the rules, the two pitcher positions and how they have been evolving since the rule book was written in 1845. 8.01a Legal pitching delivery: There are two pitching positions permitted, the Windup Position and the Set Position, and either one may be used at any …
Time limits game restraints. One of the differences in Baseball as opposed to other sports is that there is no clock. However time limits and game restraints do at times restrict the time a baseball game is played. Some of these game limits are Darkness, Rain, and sometimes situations that are beyond control. For example in the 1989 World …
It is the umpire’s duty to dust off the plate. You, as a baseball umpire, should have a brush to do that when needed. Use it! I have had over the years many comments about dusting off the plate. There have been statements like “now you’ll be able to see it,” “there it is” and …
Denny and I worked an Adult League game in Hagerstown, MD. I worked the plate, he worked the bases. I lost a long foul ball in the lights. I saw it hit the wall about 12′ to the foul side of the foul pole. I called it “FOUL”! The manager argued that it went out …
Ron Luciano was a colorful, flamboyant and clever umpire. Known for his famous book, “The Umpire Strikes Back,” taken from the Star Wars movie, “The Empire Strikes Back,” that was popular in his time. He wrote and published several books about his umpiring career. Known to be a very dramatic umpire, he had a long-time feud with Baltimore Orioles …
Awarding of bases is one of the four most important things the baseball umpire must know. Learn, study, and apply the rules for awarding of bases. One Base Awards The following situations result in the awarding of one base: 1. The batter is hit-by-pitch (HBP) (5.09a) 2. A base on balls (2.00) 3. A fielder falls into …
(Note Rule 1.05) Home Plate is 17″ wide. 1.06 “Safety” bases (breakaway bases) are not legal in OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES (OBR). Wisdom dictates that in amateur baseball we allow safety bases to be used. 1.11(a)-(2) Even though white undershirt sleeves are not prohibited by rule, most amateur players and coaches believe a pitcher cannot wear …
The following follows baseball strike zone history and its changes through baseball history from its inception in 1845. The Major League Baseball “Official Rules” defines the strike zone in baseball as: Rule 2.0 “THE STRIKE ZONE” is that area over home plate, the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between …