Hitter requesting time out.....umpire granting or not granting it

Buckeye 2015 posted:

There's a bit of an argument going on on Twitter.....over a video of a pitcher hitting a kid after he requested time.  Some argument as to when the ump called it.  It's easy in this one because the video has sound and there's nobody at the game.  Question is what would happen if the game was at Texas A & M in front of 7,000 where you can't hear.

Hitter requests time and steps back from the box....just as the pitcher starts his windup.   Ump makes absolutely no arm motion at all...doesn't even flinch....but says "Time is granted.....no pitch".   In the case of the video online, you can clearly hear him....from behind the backstop where the video was shot...but who knows if the pitcher did.   In a big stadium with a crowd, the pitcher never would.   I've looked but can't find anything saying the ump is required to use his arms.  I can't think of a time where an ump hasn't motioned.

Thoughts??

How about this?

Rewind to 15U season....last inning of a tie game...opponent has runner on 3rd.  Batter quickly raises his hand to request time and steps  out of the box.....just as the coach from the dugout yells "Time".....ump doesn't grant it....but our pitcher heard the coach and stopped....balk called.   Keep in mind this was in a B1G stadium with about 30 fans.....the dugout is far enough from the field that when the guy yelled....EVERYONE heard it....heck, even our CF wondered what happened?  Ump does nothing....and calls the balk to allow the winning run to score.  Ever had a coach yell "time" from the dugout?    

Definitely shouldn't have been a balk. When a player calls time, whether granted or not, a balk can't be called - the batter cannot cause a balk. Bad call. Here's another fun one for you. If the batter calls time and steps out of the box, the umpire doesn't grant it and the pitcher throws it down the pipe, he can give TWO strikes - one for the pitch and one as a penalty. Had this happen with my son pitching a couple of years ago.

As an umpire ... Bad mechanics to use voice only.   If you grant time, arms get raised.  If pitcher in windup or close to delivery, walk away from the plate - repeatedly calling "Time"  "No Pitch".   Leave NOTHING to the imagination.

On the second point... the BALK was an incorrect call.  NFHS rules that no balk shall be called if a player or coach on the offensive team take any action - physical or verbal - that caused the pitcher to balk. Unsportsmanlike conduct results in ejection.  

It is an old copy - so the numbering may have changed, but the rule is the same...

SECTION 3 BENCH AND FIELD CONDUCT ART. 1 . . . A coach, player, substitute, attendant or other bench personnel shall not:

n. call “Time” or use any command or commit any act for the purpose of causing a balk;

PENALTY: The umpire shall eject the offender from the game. Failure to comply shall result in game being forfeited.

I always coached my kids to finish a pitch once the motion started - regardless of what was said / called.  I had one kid that in a similar situation would be in the RH box and as the pitcher stared would raise his hand toward the pitcher, but never request time ... in hopes of causing a balk.   He got away with it a lot - but one ump caught on ... called no pitch and warned him.   Never did that again after that point.

Sub HS baseball - that works... get to higher levels, the kid would get one right between the numbers.

Trust me....the guy that did it in our 15U game was the head coach of a pretty well known travel program.  I made it very clear to him after the game that we knew exactly what he was doing and would make sure every other travel coach around knew about it....lol.  You have no idea how bad our kids were hoping we'd see that team again.  We had a half dozen cheesy trick plays lined up and were going to use every last one of them against them lol. 

A few things....

Better Mechanics needed by the Umpire.....when IGRANT time, I raise my hands, call time and step out of the box.........(its very clear)

If time is requested but I feel its not warranted, I stay down in my stance and say "no time"..... (its very clear)

At no time is a batter, just by raising his hand, equal to a granted time out..........

Or you can just do this!!