Tagged With "Batters"

We have very good batters boxes they are very hard and we take care of them routinely to keep them in shape. The last 3 games we have had at home the opposing team has dug them out when they got in the box, after the last team visiting we had to fill in 2 holes that were about 6 inches deep and their pitcher destroyed our mound by digging it out. Anyway we have some rubber mats left over from our weight room that are usually in our dugout and I am thinking of burying one of them our RH...

In a PIAA high school game on Monday night, we had the same play happen twice. Our team was on defense with a runner on second. The runner took off for third as the pitch was being thrown, our catcher drop stepped to get behind the batter who at the same time took a step back and then leaned forward. Our catcher had to throw over the batters back and ran into him, then he immediately yelled "INTERFERENCE". Both times the throw sailed into the outfield and the runner scored. We confronted the...

On a related note, our high school does a good job of maintaining the pitcher's mound filling in any ruts with a "special" mix, then tamping down. I think it is just slightly moistened clay (kept in airtight pail) but never wanted to ask the coach directly. Also, are there any rules which restrict or prohibit messing up the box or the mound or any restrictions about mid-game "repairs"? I can't believe an ump would allow a 6 inch rut to be dug out. We've got a turf box so no such problems.

If you are using the right clay mix (or clay bricks), moisture and tamping, you should be able to create a base that is very difficult to dig too far into. Frequent re-application is necessary. Regarding your idea of rubber mats, there are actually products sold that are, I believe, rubber that are designed for just what you are talking about. It is not solid, though. I think it is like a honeycomb grid configuration where dirt fills in the openings throughout. I couldn't find on a quick...

Why would anyone want to bat out of a 6" deep hole?

One of the locations where we played in a spring break tourney was formerly a D1 college stadium, now run by the city. The setting and grass conditions were very good and from a distance, everything looked ideal. But they did not use any clay for mound or plate. Holes were enormous and it had a significant effect on pitchers and hitters.

NBC, Just get a bigger drill bit and drill a ton of holes in your mat before installig.Its just about the draingage.

Thanks for the info. From what I have noticed the teams that are digging the holes are the same teams whose fields are in less than great shape, so maybe that's what they are use to doing. Either way to me it's ridiculous, I don't know why they would want to dig and hit out of a hole.

http://beaconathletics.com/sto...er-batters-box-mats/ http://www.hooverfence.com/spo...softball/infield.htm

Those mats look like a great product. What we did back in the late 50’s and 60’s was use bricks on both the mounds and batter’s boxes. In fact, we just set up a mound with bricks last year and it’s held up magnificently. One of the biggest mistakes is filling in the holes and then trying to pack it. It will pack, but not very tightly. In order to do get it to pack well, the soil has to be moistened.

Be careful that the mat is deep enough that a player can't catch his cleat in it. My son's batting coach has always been careful of cleats on mats. He has seen players catch a cleat when they go to turn their foot and tear something. As least dirt gives.

At our HS the booster club paid for and installed a circular mat that was about the diameter of the home plate area. Similar to the Jox Box mats MidAtlanticDad post links for. The mat is buried about 6" deep. No problems with any batter digging for China.

Teach your hitters never to stand in the same place as the previous hitters. Teach you hitters if the right side is below grade to move dirt from the back of the box to fill the hole. A good smart hitter needs the "Back side" higher than the front. This will prevent a "premature" upper cut. This is one of the 6 Tools and discussions with Eric Davis and Edgar Martinez. Bob < www.goodwillseries.org >

We had a discussion of this very topic in this forum a week or so ago. The batter may not interfere with the catcher's fielding or throwing by: a. Leaning over home plate, b. Stepping out of the batter's box, c. Making any other movement, including follow-through interference, which hinders actions at home plate or the catcher's attempt to play on a runner, or d. Failing to make a reasonable effort to vacate a congested area when there is a throw to home plate and there is time for the...

One way your coach might have handled this situation would have been to ask the plate umpire, "So you agree that the batter did step back into the catcher's way, but you are saying the rules permit the batter to hinder the catcher's attempt to make a play on the runner as long as he stays in the box?" This question clarifies the issue as a rule application and not a judgment call. It should make the umpire reconsider. If not, it gives the coach an opportunity to ask him to consult with his...

As an umpire, I have a big problem with umpires expressing disagreement with a partner's call to anyone other than the partner--in private, either in a conference during the game or in the post-game de-brief in the parking lot. We all make mistakes. And sometimes we see our partners make mistakes that we don't get an opportunity to help correct. For example, if my partner misses a pulled foot at first base, I can't share that information with him unless the coach asks him and he asks me. The...

Okay, I understand the rules regarding batter interference (BI) for the most part. I just have a few questions. So, if BI occurs when the batter swings & misses for strike 3, is the runner that's stealing 2nd automatically out since the batter is already out for striking out?? OR is the runner out ONLY if, in the umpire's judgment, the BI prevented the defense from getting the out at 2nd base?? In other words, does it matter what the count is after BI has been called when determining if...

It's easier to keep straight if you remember two things: 1) Batter interference is a delayed dead ball. Let the play unfold, so you can compare what does happen to what would have happened. This also gives you time to watch and think. 2) Your goal is to nullify the interference, which is not the same as punishing the team that committed the interference. They don't get to keep any ill-gotten gains, either in the form bases advanced or outs avoided. In your first situation of a batter...

Yes.......it does help.......A LOT!! Thanks! One more question....... What if there is 1 out, runner on 3rd is stealing home, and the batter swings and misses for strike 3 and the batter's follow through swing hits the catcher and the umpire calls batter interference. Is this an automatic double play? If no, why not? I ask because if the batter has less than 3 strikes after BI is called, the runner is out if he is put out and the runner is still out even if he is not put out. Correct?? So,...

Even though the situation is implausible, the same principles apply. It is still a delayed dead ball, so don't call interference until the dust settles. If it's a third strike, the batter is already out. (If the pitch wasn't caught and first base was unoccupied, you can call the batter out for interference, and it won't affect how you dispose of the runner.) If the interference prevented the catcher from retiring the runner, rule the runner out. If the runner would have scored even if the...

Swampboy's post applies only in FED. Under NCAA and OBR, the runner is out no matter how you judge the steal attempt. And, FWIW, I have a higher standard before returning the runner that how I interpret Swampboy's standard. A guideline would be to get the out unless R1 is stealing on the pitch and the ball gets away from F2. If F2 has any kind of a play on R1, get the out. Finally, the rule on the "follow-through interference" is also different between FED (it's just another kind of BI) and...

What was the color of the bat? Who was the hitter? Bob

This doesn't happen often at all to me I'm just curious as I had this experience at practice and it kind of freaked me out. We were doing an intersquad scrimmage and I was in left field and the batter (righty) hit the ball to right field. I heard the sound of the bat but I could not find the ball in the air at all. Anyone else had this experience or know what causes it? It wasn't particularly sunny out so I don't think I lost it in the sky.

In college summer ball I once made a diving catch of a routine fly ball. The light standard in the right field corner blew. We played the game anyway. I had trouble in right picking up the spin of the ball off right handed hitters when they hit high flies to the right side. It was like chasing down an eclipse.

Happens to everyone at some point. Often, it is the result of the background, whether that be silver bleachers, white/grey sky, dusk, lousy lighting... And, of course, when our sight starts to deteriorate (which can be at any age), it can happen more easily.

Hint: If you are focused enough to be able to answer the questions Bob posed, you are much less likely to lose sight of the ball.

The first sign that I needed glasses was that I started losing fly balls in the sky, especially during night games. May want to get your eyes checked just in case.

Adbono: maybe the "helpful hints" from this video. It is a "slow" day in Santa Rosa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...flun5CyIc&t=191s Bob