Wrong number of outs

No.

As a coach - just to make sure the philosophy is clear...

In this situation does the burden of responsibility fall on the umpire to inform the teams properly - or on the teams to keep track properly themselves?

I expect it is the responsibility of the team. When you ask the umpire how many outs there are, or what the count is, you should be asking to confirm what you already have in your book - not because you weren't paying attention. Regardless, I wouldn't think that a mistake by the umpire should cause a legitimate play to be reversed.

quote:

Originally posted by Rob T:

In this situation does the burden of responsibility fall on the umpire to inform the teams properly - or on the teams to keep track properly themselves?

From my scorekeeping perspective, the team needs to know how many outs there are. I listen when the umpire indicates the count or number of outs. If I don't agree, I notify our coach. He takes it from there, generally resolving the discrepancy before the next pitch. Sometimes its me, but most of the time its them

In the op, the umpire indicated the wrong number of outs and then made his best attempt to clean it up. Was there a better way to handle it once he made the mistake? If this is very young kids in youth baseball, he could've done worse, IMHO. If this was a higher levels of play (like HS), somebody needs to ask, "What? I've only got one out" and fix it then.

quote:

Originally posted by JMoff:

quote:

Originally posted by Rob T:

In this situation does the burden of responsibility fall on the umpire to inform the teams properly - or on the teams to keep track properly themselves?

From my scorekeeping perspective, the team needs to know how many outs there are. I listen when the umpire indicates the count or number of outs. If I don't agree, I notify our coach. He takes it from there, generally resolving the discrepancy before the next pitch. Sometimes its me, but most of the time its them

In the op, the umpire indicated the wrong number of outs and then made his best attempt to clean it up. Was there a better way to handle it once he made the mistake? If this is very young kids in youth baseball, he could've done worse, IMHO. If this was a higher levels of play (like HS), somebody needs to ask, "What? I've only got one out" and fix it then.

No ****, this happened to me a few days ago...but in reverse.

College wood-bat. It's a hot night, with one good team and one ****ty team. ****ty team is on defense. About 67 batters into the inning, with bases loaded, batter comes up and asks, "1 or 2?" I answer, simultaneously with the catcher, "1." Catcher calls for the corners to play up. Batter hits a sharp grounder to second, who (unexplicably to catcher and me) throws to first. Everyone runs off the field.

Batter said, jokingly, "You guys set me up!" Catcher said exactly what I was thinking: "I didn't think we were playing good enough to have two out by then."

If I'm on defense on a hot summer night after a long inning, I might run off the field after one out just to see if anyone followed me (note I'm from Arizona)...

Most AZ dads like me would stand up and applaud with a "great job".

Here's one that happened last night in a blowout 18U Connie Mack game, although a little different.

Two outs, 2-2 count, R2. Before the pitch, HU signals BU. I think it was to ask how many outs, but might've been something else. Anyway, next pitch is swinging strike three with R2 stealing third. HU makes a mad dash to third and rings up the base runner. Catcher (after throw) during the confusion, says he thought they already had two outs and what was the one out thing.

Nobody seems to know what happened and why there was even a play at third...

HU & BU huddle fairly close to fans, because that's where their water bottles were, trying to figure out what happened. The BU apparently made some call on the "you've got third" (I don't know why). The HU says, but there were 2 strikes, BU says, "you keep the count not me". HU turns to the few fans still around and asks if any of us want to be his partner for the last inning.

We joke with HU that we want the first out of the following inning to be on the board when the next inning starts (what would be the last inning of the second blow out of the DH). Mainly because it was Saturday night, late, we were all hungry and the Red Sea would have to part prior to the outcome changing.