A Plan to Help Speed Up Your Baseball Games
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- Parent Category: Larry's Corner
A PLAN TO HELP SPEED UP YOUR BASEBALL GAMES
The Federation and the NCAA have put together a very good rule called the Batter’s Box Rule that I would like to try to help Northwest
Umpires to get some consistency on so that we can help speed up our games to some degree. I am then sending this idea to each mentor
to distribute to the umpire’s in your group. However, if you wish to modify this some, feel free to do so. However, you must remember
not to stray away with the idea of speeding up the game. I don’t expect any umpire to really to have to enforce this rule except in extreme
cases but I do expect to see that we are acknowledging that we know the rule by encouraging the batter to keep one foot in the batter’s
box when it is between pitches and the exceptions do not apply. I dare say, you could even try to do some of this in the summer during
legion and adult games. In fact, in the 2006 OBR book or the professional rulebook, it is listed in there as an experimental rule. First,
let’s look at the rule in both the NCAA and then the Federation. There are some minor differences to the 2 different codes but in reality
they really are the same. I will put the Federation in the same order that the NCAA is so that you will more readily see the slight difference
in the rule and you will see how they really mean the same thing. Both rules start off with the statement as follows: This rule is designed
to speed up play by controlling the actions of the batter between pitches. That statement comes directly from the NCAA rulebook. It goes
on further as the Federation rulebook does by stating, “The batter must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout the time at bat
with the following exceptions:
NCAA Exceptions FEDERATION Exceptions
1. The batter swings at a pitch. 1. The batter swings at a pitch.
2. The batter is forced out of the box by the pitch. 2. The batter is forced out of the box by the pitch.
3. A member of either team requests and is granted time. 3. A member of either team requests and is granted, “Time.”
4. A defensive player attempts a play on a runner at 4. The pitcher or catcher feints or attempts a play at any base.
any base.
5. The batter attempts a “drag” bunt. 5. A batter feints a bunt.
6. A wild pitch or passed ball occurs. 6. The catcher does not catch the pitched ball.
7. The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound 7. The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching
after receiving the ball. mound or takes a position more than 5 feet from the pitcher’s plate after receiving the ball.
8. The catcher leaves the position to give defensive 8. The catcher leaves the catcher’s box to adjust his signals. equipment or give defensive signals.
OBR Exceptions
6.02 (d) in the OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES states, “The following experimental rule shall be in effect for all National Association Leagues in 2006:
(1) The batter shall keep at least one foot in the batter’s box throughout the batter’s time at bat, unless one of the following exceptions applies, in which case the batter may leave the batter’s box but not the dirt area surrounding home plate:
(i) The batter swings at a pitch.
(ii) The batter is forced out of the batter’s box by a pitch.
(iii) A member of either team requests and is granted, “Time”.
(iv) A defensive player attempts a play on a runner at any base.
(v) The batter feints a bunt.
(vi) A wild pitch or passed ball occurs.
(vii) The pitcher leaves the dirt area of the pitching mound after receiving the ball.
(viii)The catcher leaves the catcher’s box to give defensive signals.
Notwithstanding Rule 6.02©, if the batter intentionally leaves the batter’s box and delays play, and none of the exceptions listed in Rule 6.02(d)(1)(i) through (viii) applies, the umpire shall award a strike without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch. The ball shall remain alive. The umpire shall award additional strikes, without the pitcher having to deliver the pitch, if the batter remains outside the batter’s box and further delays play. I caution you that the Major Leagues have not adopted this rule as of yet. It is a rule in the Minor Leagues. I have not really done much with it this year as so many of the amateur players have not been a problem anyway and they really don’t know that it has been changed. I am going to suggest to all of our leagues next year that they need to learn the changes that took place this year and make sure they understand we will be using the 2007 rulebook and all the changes that took place this year and even those that are added for next year. There were 30 different notations of rule changes for 2006 in the OBR book. Many that are umpire friendly and that is a good thing for all of us. However, we need to educate ourselves. You can go to www.mlb.com and read the changes on their website. The 2006 is in a pdf file on a link at the bottom of the web page for those of you that have not purchased the 2006 OBR book from Sporting News.
The batter may leave the batter’s box and the dirt area when time is granted for the purpose of:
1) Making a substitution. 2) An offensive conference. 3) A defensive timeout or conference.
This is an NCAA and OBR ruling but it would apply in Federation also because it is not written in their rulebook at all.
As you can see they all are really the same but there could be a little difference in meaning to a few of them. I would consider that they should be used interchangeably in either contest.
Now that we know the rule, what do we do with this information to help us help the game move more smoothly? Here is my plan and it has worked very well for me.
When the batter’s are doing what they are supposed to do – keep one foot in the box between pitches, I basically just step back and wait and say and do nothing. When I notice the 1st batter step out to get his sign or even to leave when one of the 8 exceptions does not apply, I say to him, “Don’t forget to keep one foot in the box.” Usually I get a response of “Oh, sorry!” and then he does what he is supposed to do. Sometimes, you just made a call of a strike that the batter did not like and he is stepping out to disapprove or just collect himself for the next pitch. I don’t say too much until he is getting more than 2 steps away and then I say, “Don’t forget when you take a pitch, you need to keep one foot in the box.” All I do is keep encouraging them to do the right thing. After awhile, everyone is doing it all the time and in the last few innings of the game there is no problem at all. Also, I have helped train them to get used to doing the right thing when you come to do their next game. Now, it is your turn to encourage batter’s to do the correct thing. If we all did our part, then they would all be trained by today’s date and there would not be any issues when it comes time for the playoffs.
Remember, the penalty for noncompliance is to call a strike for the batter’s delay. I would probably never let it get to the point that I would need to enforce the rule. Remember, they are allowed to step out and then get back in before the pitcher is on the rubber and ready to take his sign. He can leave the box every pitch as long as he does not delay the game. However, don’t let them do this either. Keep them with one foot in the box as much as you can. Now, another thing could happen if you don’t control it. Some pitchers or catchers might try to quick pitch that hitter when he isn’t ready to bat but has a foot in the box. It is your job to control the catcher. Let him know if you think the pitcher is trying to gain an unfair advantage by quick pitching. I warn the catcher not to give a sign until the batter’s feet and hands are ready. I have been able to prevent quick pitching in this manner and not have to put up a hand every time for the batter. Remember, when you put your hand up, you have just called time even if you have not said the word “Time!” This takes away an opportunity for a pickoff at any base by the defense. So, don’t let the catcher or pitcher quick pitch and don’t use the stop sign either. Control the game by letting the catcher know that he is not to give the sign until the batter is ready.
I hope I have given you one more way to manage the game and how fast it can move by using the tools that the rules give us. I dare say that you can cut 10 minutes off your game some days by using this rule to your advantage. However, I don’t believe you will ever need to penalize anyone and really enforce this rule if you handle it in a diplomatic and as in the old movie “Friendly Persuasion” with Gary Cooper. I know most of you never heard of the movie and maybe you never even heard of Gary Cooper. Cooper played Lou Gehrig in “Pride of the Yankees” and won the Academy Award as the sheriff in “High Noon.” He was a great actor of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. He also played Sgt. York in the movie of the same name. This was a movie about World War I and one of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients of that war. Who said you can’t learn anything new each day? Anyway, I try to inform and educate even if you don’t want to know about old movies and movie stars.
