Swampboy posted:Umpire27,
I acknowledge and accept your point that the umpire could have prevented this situation by noticing the unannounced substitution before a pitch was thrown (which would have mattered in OBR, but not Federation). But the question here was what to do in situations where it wasn't discovered until he had thrown a pitch.
As to whether it's a penalty, it sounds strange to call it that because it sure doesn't seem like much of a penalty, but that's the way the Fed rule book describes it in 3-1-1:
"PENALTY: If the starting pitcher does not face one better, he may play another position, but not return to pitch."
(It is also strange that it says "return" to pitch when he hasn't pitched at all, but that's how they wrote it.)
Also, in defense of the umpire, in a high school, rec, or travel league game where I don't know any of the players, I doubt I would notice that the number of the starting pitcher throwing warm up pitches in the first inning wasn't the same as the number of the pitcher against the lineup card in my pocket. It's just not a situation I'm on guard to look for. So I'm not inclined to find much fault with him for not noticing it, and he resolved it correctly when it was discovered.
I agree with everything you say. However, the OP said one pitch had been thrown. At that point a competent umpire would know that the pitcher needs to finish pitching to the batter and could not be replaced.