I was told this weekend at a tournament that if a coach signing for pitches gives the sign directly to the pitcher, that's considered a visit to the mound. He told me that signs need to be given to the catcher and he sends them back to the pitcher.
I've never heard that and did try to look this up. I often will yell out to the pitcher things like "reach back" or "watch your follow thru", etc.. Are those considered trips to the mound also?
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/official_rules/pitcher_8.jsp
I didn't find that here either. In fact, the rule there indicates that a visit is a trip within an 18' circle of the mound.
Does anyone know if that's right or not? If he's right, I would appreciate a link or something.
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