THE UMPIRE WEEKLY
Volume 1 / Issue 5
DINNER & AUCTION
The auction is coming soon!
The 5th Annual Battle Ground
Little League Dinner and
Auction is Saturday, May 20th
at the Battle Ground
Community Center.
Buy your tickets today! You
can get your tickets at the ball
field from the Board Member
on Duty or click here to
purchase tickets online.
April 30, 2017
Like many of you, I’ve been wondering if Spring is ever really going to arrive.
Well it did this weekend! What a beautiful weekend for some baseball and
softball. Some of us got a little pink from all the sunshine! And, as always,
there were situations that arose that drove us to ask why things were called
the way they were. This week I found myself engulfed in softball rules. One of
our situations this week only applies to softball. The other applies to both
softball and baseball.
CIRCLE VIOLATIONS
One of the differences between baseball and softball are the rules that govern
the actions of base runners in relation to the location of the pitcher. In
softball, when a runner is in violation of these rules, we commonly refer to it
as a circle violation. This rule really has to do with a runner leaving the base
early on a pitch or not returning to the base quickly enough when the pitcher
has the ball in the pitcher’s circle.
This situation is governed by Rule 7.08 – Rule 7.08(5) says, “Any runner is
out when… “(a) Major/Junior/Senior League Divisions: the runner fails to
keep contact with the base to which that runner is entitled until the ball has
been released by the pitcher on the delivery. (b) Minor League/Tee Ball: the
runner fails to keep in contact with the base which that runner is entitled
until the ball has been batted or reaches the batter.”1 Notice that there is a
difference between Majors and Minors Softball. In Majors softball, the
runner may leave the base when the ball has been released by the pitcher. In
Minors softball, the runner must wait until that ball has reached the batter.
This is slightly different in baseball, where the runner must wait until the
pitch reaches the batter in both the Minors and Majors Divisions.
Note 2 under Rule 7.08 says, “…NOTE 2: If the pitcher has possession of the
ball within the pitcher’s circle, and is not making a play (a fake throw is
considered a play), runners not in contact with their bases must immediately
attempt to advance or return to base.”1 Immediately is interpreted to mean
within a three-second time frame. The interpretation of this is not that the
runner is out just for being off the base when the pitcher has the ball back in
the pitcher’s circle; rather, it says that she must immediately attempt to
advance or return. That is not to say that she has three seconds to get back to
the base or three seconds to advance, but three seconds to make her decision.
Thus, once the pitcher returns to the circle with the ball, the umpire should
start a three second count. If the count reaches three and the runner has not
yet moved to either return or advance, that runner is out.
Dr. Mark Lantiere is the Assistant Umpire-in-Chief for the Eastern Region of
Little League International. He wrote a great article on this subject. If you
want additional information on this subject, click here to read his article.
EXTRA INNINGS
So, there was a question that came up this week about extra innings and
when a new inning begins. The first question is fairly simple. Should games
end in a tie or should we play extra innings?
The answer to this is in Rule 4.10(b) – “If the score is tied after six completed
innings (Junior/Senior League: seven innings), play shall continue until (1)
the visiting team has scored more total runs than the home team at the end of
a complete inning; or (2) the home team scores the winning run in an
uncompleted inning.”2 Simple enough, right? The game should not end in a
tie if the time limits have not yet been reached. The Inter-League rules have
established the time limits for games and you can find the Inter-League rules
online at www.bgll.org.
This leads to the next question. Sometimes there are several minutes
“between innings.” When does one inning end and the new inning begin? The
answer to that is simple as well. Rule 2.00 defines the inning as “…that
portion of a game within which the teams alternate on offense and defense
and in which there are three put outs for each team. It will be held that an
inning starts the moment the third out is made completing the preceding
inning.”2 Again, simple enough, right?
That all being said, the umpire should not call a game early if the time limit
has not yet been reached. A new inning, and extra innings in the case of a tie,
should be started if within time limits. Of course, generally, the losing team
will argue that there is plenty of time to play another inning and the winning
team will argue that they have reached the time limit. The umpire is the
official time keeper, regardless of whose watch he or she uses.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Contact Us
Dan Boyett
Umpire-in-Chief
Battle Ground Little League
www.bgll.org
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Don’t forget to get your auction tickets. Help keep Battle Ground Little
League operational. Auction night is approaching like a fastball right down
the middle… Get your tickets today from the Board Member on Duty at the
ball field or click here to buy tickets online. Space is limited so do not delay!
Thank you for your support and…
PLAY BALL!
From: Digital, Libre. “2017 Little League Softball: Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies.” Libre Digital, 2017. iBooks.
from: Digital, Libre. “2017 Little League Baseball®: Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies.” Libre Digital, 2017. iBooks.