Good topic for the off season?
You know what they say about always seeing something new.
Today lefty batter turns on a pitch and hits a one-hop scorcher that hits the inside corner of the first base bag. The ball ricochets off the bag right at the pitcher, who has already taken a step in that direction. He gloves it in stride and continues onto first for the unassisted putout. Just like that, a sure double becomes an out.
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Summer college league. Pitcher throws an inside pitch that may or may not have grazed the sleeve of the batter. Batter doesn't move but ump sends him to 1st.
Pitcher comes off the mound and yells at the ump, "that did not him". Opposing dugout yells for the pitcher to shut - up. Pitcher turns toward the dugout and says you shut up. Dugout yells something back to pitcher who now starts walking toward the dugout, drops the ball on the ground, and says why don't you step outside that fence and we'll see who shuts up - or something along those lines.
Bullpen comes running in toward the dugout.
By then the catcher and ump are directing the pitcher back toward the mound. Sounds intense, but it was more funny than anything.
HS team is finishing up summer games, last event is a 4th of July tourney. We play summer games to see more of the JV kids that may come up, get additional reps for returners and start developing pitching for next season. So, summer is usually very loosely run. But this tourney draws lots of teams and some come to win.
Yesterday's game - my starter is cruising, no hitter thru 4, low count and he's fresh, we're up 1-0. I pull him. Opposing coach - "you're pulling him with a no-no???" Next guy gets thru two innings with a walk, still no hits. I tell another guy to warm up, I'll put him in if we walk another hitter in the 7th. First guy walks. I pause for a minute about the idea of pulling two fresh arms out of the same game with a no-hitter in tact. I give him a little rope. He walks a few more and I make the change. Next guy eventually gets it done. Three guys, seven innings, no hitter, win 6-3.
A different story - last week, summer game. I have been coaxing a young player to get more aggressive and attack balls defensively (mostly 3b). He is playing 3b, there is a routinely struck ground ball hit between him and SS, he immediately dives hard toward the hole. A few seconds later, the ball rolls past him, almost within arm's reach as he was laying on the ground. The bench lost it and I had to cover my face with my clipboard.
Was at a mlb game and witnessed sweet swinging billy hit a ball off 1st base that then went directly into stands. Ground rule double
My freshman year of college and we are playing some team somewhere that I truly do not remember where they are now. Anyway we are playing on the road and their pitcher hit one of our guys and stares him down. Next half inning our guy hits one of theirs. They come out of the dugout and we come out of our dugout. Nothing happens outside of some talking. Next half inning they hit another of our guys and both dugouts empty but still nothing but talk. Next half inning we hit one of them. Both teams are out of the dugouts talking but still nothing EXCEPT neither team goes back in their dugout. The rest of the game - I want to say 3 or 4 innings - both teams were about 10 - 15 feet from both baselines waiting for ANYTHING to happen so we can fight. Literally a check swing might have killed someone as close as we were. What surprises me (looking back at it now) is nobody in charge said anything. Both umps let it happen, both coaching staffs let it happen and nobody in the stands (parents) said anything. Luckily nothing else happened and we won the game. We were scheduled to play them again about 3 weeks later but the game got cancelled because the school went bankrupt and closed their doors. I have no clue how a fight didn't break out or anyone didn't tell us to sit down.
Game this past weekend. Our hitter backs out of the way on an inside pitch, with bat still on shoulder with no hint of a swing.
Ump says he went, we ask, he went where? Never asked the base ump for help. Must of been daydreaming a swing.
