Both of these scenarios have occurred in two separate games within the past two weeks:
Varsity HS Baseball Game - Slashing:
- Multiple times opposing team had runners in scoring position, and with less than 2 outs the opposing team's batter would square around to show bunt to get the corner(s) crashing in, and then slash (pull back, and take a huge cut). On one occasion a missile went right by the 3B head.
- Coach instructs his defensive corners to no longer crash in, but instead just creep to a certain spot, and wait until you actually see the bunt on the ground. Opposing coach then starts laying down the bunts, and getting runners on base.
Everyone OK with that? My personal opinion is that until you are getting paid to play, or at least on scholarship, the risk is much greater than the reward. This same coach had all kind of trick plays as well, which drives me nuts. My rule for the most part for teams I have coached has been, that "unless you see it on TV", we ain't doing it. I used to also have a rule about not running up scores against very inferior teams, we'd move base to base, and shut down the running game. However, against teams that play this kind of baseball, I would instruct them if we were able to get up big, to keep the foot down full throttle.
Varsity Baseball Game Intentional Hitting a Batter:
- Opposing team has runner on 1B, and steals. Catcher's throw beats runner by a mile,....runner slides hard, spikes high, and kicks spike at 2B glove, cutting his arm. Not a big cut, but drew some blood. Umpire either did not see, of chose not to do anything about the "spikes high" slide or last minute kick.
- Coach is pretty mad at ump, and after inning instructs his pitcher to hit the kid that spiked the fielder in his next at bat.
- Two innings later, kid comes up to the plate, and a sign is relayed from dugout to catcher, and first pitch drills player.
A little more info., the pitcher who hit the batter had a 4-0 lead, and was cruising with a very low pitch count, and only a couple of base runners. He throws in the low 80's, and the pitch that hit the batter was almost a head shot, in fact some in the stands thought he had been hit in the head. Thankfully, he was not, it went off the top of the shoulder.
Any thoughts?....is this OK at the HS level?