Please help clarify a situation that has not occurred yet but some parents say constitute a rules violation. After the completion of our team's at bat in an inning, our first base coach walks across the diamond and picks up the baseball lying on the field at the mound then waits for our pitcher to come out to the mound where he hands him the ball. Can this be counted as a mound visit? Thanks in advance for your replies, this is a great forum.
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No. Unless for some reason he delays the game.
Thank you
Reason #238 to never to listen to parents who say they know the rules.
He is not disrupting game play.
Jimmy03, yes, very true and I usually allow these type of comments to just pass through but somehow I thought this one sounded legitimate.
Thanks for all your replies and glad to know there is no problem with it.
As a follow-up question, what if the coach hands him the ball to the pitcher and talks to him for 30 seconds thus delaying his warm-up tosses? Does the umpire have the right to say this is a mound visit or does the mound visit (and hence delay) have to take place during the actual inning?
As a follow-up question, what if the coach hands him the ball to the pitcher and talks to him for 30 seconds thus delaying his warm-up tosses? Does the umpire have the right to say this is a mound visit or does the mound visit (and hence delay) have to take place during the actual inning?
The pitcher has 1 minute to get in his warmup (in HS ball; 90 seconds in a non-televised college game). So, in your example if the pitcher only takes say 3 warmups then I wouldn't charge a visit but if he takes all 5 then I might. Of course, I would be talking to the coach before hand if I could to try to avoid charging a visit the coach doesn't want.
Case 3-4-1 Situation H deals with this situation
Got it.
Thanks for the clarification on my questions.
This happens a lot with youth leagues. Coaches stop to instruct kids. I give them a warning when I see it happen... most coaches don't know that it could be a visit. "Coach... you know that visiting the mound between innings can be called a visit?...Now you do... the next one will be." That stops it. High travel leagues - HS and above, they should know. I draw the line when there is instructing going on. A hand off of the ball, a word of encouragement and a pat on the back, doesn't cross that line.
As a follow-up question, what if the coach hands him the ball to the pitcher and talks to him for 30 seconds thus delaying his warm-up tosses? Does the umpire have the right to say this is a mound visit or does the mound visit (and hence delay) have to take place during the actual inning?
You're getting close to a bugger not worth picking. A coach may go out between innings and talk to his pitcher while he is warming up and that does not constitute a visit. Delaying the game? That's in the eye of the umpire. I don't carry a stop watch behind the plate.
I'll shoo him away long before it becomes a real issue. I have never seen an umpire handle this by calling it a conference. There are other battles more worthy to gird for than this.
Though it is possible to charge a visit, it needs to be excessive. If the coach goes out while he is warming I pay attention, if it seems the least bit like it is going to run long I simply say," Let's go coach."
"Coach... you know that visiting the mound between innings can be called a visit?...Now you do... the next one will be."
I might be reading this wrong but I think your going overboard here and its not what is in the rule. If you want to issue a warning then say "If you delay the game I will have to charge you a visit".
