Catcher lets ump get hit on purpose?

[jared52 4,358]

I played a good bit of baseball but I have never seen this done. I am sure it happens but I don't think I have ever heard of it getting this much attention. Apparently the catchers brother was called out on a questionable pitch the previous inning (read through the comments for more). If it was intentional, it was stupid and since it was a championship game it also hurt their team since the runner advanced to third (why do this with a runner on). Of course, it could have been done that way so that it would have looked less like it was intentional. You, uh, make the call...

http://wsbradio.com/news/060208baseballthrow.html

[Ashandarei 0]

100% on purpose.

[CircleDrill 178]

Looks like 100% on purpose to me too.

If I had done something like that when I played, my dad would have been on me exactly 0.25 seconds after that happened and he would have drug me off the field by the ear.

What a couple of LOSERS. That is not only bad judgement, it is very poor character.

[Ranger12 53]

I have been an umpire for Dixie Youth, Dixie Boys, American Legion, an AHSAA (high school) for about 10 years now. I have heard stories if this happening to other umpires, but I have never had it happen to me, at least as far as I know.

This incident is part of the reason we have a shortage of umpires for the number of games that are scheduled in all age groups. Parents and coached act like umpires are purposely wanting their team to lose based upon a bad call or two, then the players start thinking the same way. Not many people have the patience to deal with rude parents/fans and coaches that don't know the rules half the time (the reason you are seeing more clueless youth league coaches is because the guys that should be coaching don't want to deal with a-hole parents).

I am also a coach, so understand their frustrations of bad officiating, especially when you get a real bad umpire. Heck, during one of my son's 10 & under games this year, I saw the worst balls/strikes call I have ever seen in my life. The ball was 3 feet above our batter's head and the rookie umpire called it a strike, but the batter did not as much as flinch in attempting to swing. I about lost it and that was the maddest I can ever remember being at a call. Even the coaches from the other team told me they had no idea what the ump was looking at when he made that call. Yet even then, the worst umpire is not wanting your team to lose, he just sucks at what he does, or as in this case, he was a rookie, even though anybody that knows just a little about baseball knows a ball 3 feet over the batter's head is not a strike. Because of the shortage of umpires, there are guys that are calling games that maybe should not be, but the only other option is to not play the games and that is what I had to explain to parents sometimes throughout the year.

When a coach, player, or fan makes it personal, then it shows a lack if intelligence on their part. Unfortunately their seems to be a lot of stupidity on the field these days. I love baseball more then any other sport. I lived and breathed it growing up. However, youth league baseball is starting to leave sour taste in my mouth, as an umpire, coach, and parent. At the high school level, I am starting to see players with attitudes that would not have been allowed on the team when I was in high school. The catcher from this story deserves to be blacklisted from playing ever again.

[mowegl 4]

Actually the pitcher's brother is the shortstop and he was the one called out on strikes. It's blatantly obvious that it was intentional to anyone who's ever seen or played the game. They are fooling themselves if they think anyone believes them that it was an accident.

Anyway, dumb on both players parts, but people make dumb mistakes sometimes.

[townhallsavoy 2]

Definitely on purpose. All of the comments on that website are absurd.

This quote from the article makes me believe justice has been served: "The catcher in the incident, Matt Hill, had been invited to walk on for the Gordon College baseball team. The coach of that team has since rescinded the offer."

[tiger88 934]

These guys are slightly above the retarded level. It seems as though they said, "lets hit the ump and make it look as intentional as we possibly can".

Everyone knows you set up low and outside, then throw a high heater and make a "good" attempt to catch it, but barely miss.

Not condoning it, but it happens. The only time I can remember an ump deserving such treatment was Eric Gregg in the nlcs that year against the marlins and livan hernandez. .

[WarTiger 4,011]

totally intentional. The catcher should never see the field again, and if the pitcher knew what was going to happen, he shouldn't see it either. Eliminate them both from the game..PERMANENTLY

[AURaptor 1,137]

Looks like some stunt from a movie. Clearly on purpose. Thankfully the ump wasn't seriously hurt. And because of that, kudos for the throw by the pitcher. Right on the money.

[BeeRitt 0]

Don't know if you guys saw the slower replay but it sure looks like it kicks off the batters helmet pretty weird. Not sure the pitcher is capable of hitting the kids hat and then the umpire square in the face. If he can, that is impressive but a stupid thing to do.

[CircleDrill 178]

Don't know if you guys saw the slower replay but it sure looks like it kicks off the batters helmet pretty weird. Not sure the pitcher is capable of hitting the kids hat and then the umpire square in the face. If he can, that is impressive but a stupid thing to do.

Well, I watched it a bunch before your post. But after your post I watched it a bunch more. If you play it and re-play it from about the 0:10 mark through the slow-mo repeatedly, it does indeed look like the ball clipped the batter's helmet first.

Not sure how to explain the catcher's actions, though. Maybe he sneezed violently right as the ball clipped the batter's helmet?

[AUloggerhead 2,506]

... When a coach, player, or fan makes it personal, then it shows a lack if intelligence on their part. Unfortunately their seems to be a lot of stupidity on the field these days. I love baseball more then any other sport. I lived and breathed it growing up. However, youth league baseball is starting to leave sour taste in my mouth, as an umpire, coach, and parent. At the high school level, I am starting to see players with attitudes that would not have been allowed on the team when I was in high school. The catcher from this story deserves to be blacklisted from playing ever again.

Fellow umpire here. Heard of this but never seen it done until now. I would immediately eject the catcher and toss (at random) one of the asst coaches for this. I'd also confine the manager to the dugout for the remainder of the game -- just so he would have to witness the rest of the game where I'd call the tightest strike zone allowed on his team. Two can play at this game.

The thing that these kind of players don't understand is that the umpire is going to call his game no matter what. They haven't learned to get on the umpire's "good" side. Too often they're influenced by an overbearing manager/coach who also doesn't understand the value of working with the umpire rather than against him. I make it a point to introduce myself to the catchers at the beginning of every game as they come out to warm up their pitchers. I also have a strike zone that's pitchers tend to like. I call it the One Atom Standard (i.e. if one atom of the ball passes through the strike zone, it's a strike.)

[tiger88 934]

It may have barely clipped the helmet, but it hardly affected the path of the ball at all and the catchers actions speak for their self.

[JohnDeere 0]

... When a coach, player, or fan makes it personal, then it shows a lack if intelligence on their part. Unfortunately their seems to be a lot of stupidity on the field these days. I love baseball more then any other sport. I lived and breathed it growing up. However, youth league baseball is starting to leave sour taste in my mouth, as an umpire, coach, and parent. At the high school level, I am starting to see players with attitudes that would not have been allowed on the team when I was in high school. The catcher from this story deserves to be blacklisted from playing ever again.

Fellow umpire here. Heard of this but never seen it done until now. I would immediately eject the catcher and toss (at random) one of the asst coaches for this. I'd also confine the manager to the dugout for the remainder of the game -- just so he would have to witness the rest of the game where I'd call the tightest strike zone allowed on his team. Two can play at this game.

The thing that these kind of players don't understand is that the umpire is going to call his game no matter what. They haven't learned to get on the umpire's "good" side. Too often they're influenced by an overbearing manager/coach who also doesn't understand the value of working with the umpire rather than against him. I make it a point to introduce myself to the catchers at the beginning of every game as they come out to warm up their pitchers. I also have a strike zone that's pitchers tend to like. I call it the One Atom Standard (i.e. if one atom of the ball passes through the strike zone, it's a strike.)

Another umpire's opinion.......I wouldn't say a word about it to the catcher or anybody. Wouldn't call a strike for that pitcher/catcher the rest of the ballgame (pitches right down the middle automatically become balls). When it becomes obviously blatant that I'm not going to call a strike because I'm pissed, the defensive coach says one word about the strike zone,I'll give him some smartass remark about seeing double after taking that pitch to the mask then toss him for arguing balls and strikes.

[AURaptor 1,137]

Don't know if you guys saw the slower replay but it sure looks like it kicks off the batters helmet pretty weird. Not sure the pitcher is capable of hitting the kids hat and then the umpire square in the face. If he can, that is impressive but a stupid thing to do.

I didn't see it do anything to the batter's helmet, looked like it went straight in and hit the upms face guard.

[tiger88 934]

... When a coach, player, or fan makes it personal, then it shows a lack if intelligence on their part. Unfortunately their seems to be a lot of stupidity on the field these days. I love baseball more then any other sport. I lived and breathed it growing up. However, youth league baseball is starting to leave sour taste in my mouth, as an umpire, coach, and parent. At the high school level, I am starting to see players with attitudes that would not have been allowed on the team when I was in high school. The catcher from this story deserves to be blacklisted from playing ever again.

Fellow umpire here. Heard of this but never seen it done until now. I would immediately eject the catcher and toss (at random) one of the asst coaches for this. I'd also confine the manager to the dugout for the remainder of the game -- just so he would have to witness the rest of the game where I'd call the tightest strike zone allowed on his team. Two can play at this game.

The thing that these kind of players don't understand is that the umpire is going to call his game no matter what. They haven't learned to get on the umpire's "good" side. Too often they're influenced by an overbearing manager/coach who also doesn't understand the value of working with the umpire rather than against him. I make it a point to introduce myself to the catchers at the beginning of every game as they come out to warm up their pitchers. I also have a strike zone that's pitchers tend to like. I call it the One Atom Standard (i.e. if one atom of the ball passes through the strike zone, it's a strike.)

Another umpire's opinion.......I wouldn't say a word about it to the catcher or anybody. Wouldn't call a strike for that pitcher/catcher the rest of the ballgame (pitches right down the middle automatically become balls). When it becomes obviously blatant that I'm not going to call a strike because I'm pissed, the defensive coach says one word about the strike zone,I'll give him some smartass remark about seeing double after taking that pitch to the mask then toss him for arguing balls and strikes.

That would be a fun game to watch.............not. You would get your jollies and it would suck for the fans. Last night an umpire in the bigs caught a ball in the throat and almost went down. If this were the big leagues he'd have an assault and battery case. As it was, with the slower velocity, it was still dangerous, even with the protection.

[mowegl 4]

Yall need to check your specs cause that most definitely didnt hit the batters helmet. And if you think it did, how in the world do you explain the catcher jumping on his knees with his glove between his legs on a pitch high and right down the middle?