In 1948, Kansas City outfielder Leon Culberson ran to second when a pitch missed the catchers mitt and got lodged in home plate umpire Harry King’s mask. Ultimately the umpires got together and ruled that the ball was still in play and Culberson was credited with a stolen base. So what would happen if Culberson […]
As the fallout from the Houston Astro’s cheating scandal continues, one can wonder what effect, if any, will this have on amateur baseball at the high school level. This spring all over the country teams will take the field aiming for the same goal, to win a state championship. Part of what makes high school […]
NCAA Baseball Requires Pitch Clock in 2020 It is hard to determine the direction of the flow but the exchange of information, game trends, scouting and even hiring choices has been connecting NCAA baseball and MLB for decades. Top college coaches have used drills, analytics and metric driven game strategy in advance of many major […]
Umpires are allowed to call “Time” under many conditions. But when should an umpire be prohibited from calling “Time?” The top of the ninth inning of the Yankees-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday turned into one of the most bizarre half innings of the season as multiple rules surfaced on the same play. When […]
It was a steamy July day in New York and George Brett was on fire. He had just stroked a Goose Gossage four-seamer into the Yankee Stadium bleachers for a dramatic two out, ninth inning, home run that put the Royals up 5-4. The Yankees manager, Billy Martin, decided to protest the home run based […]
With last month’s Cubs-Nationals game ending in a protest from Joe Maddon, the topic of protesting in baseball came back to life. Although it is rare, with protests only being upheld 15 times in Major League Baseball history, it allows teams an avenue to enforce the Official Rules of Baseball at times when the umpires […]
The ninth inning of the May 18 game between the Washington Nationals and the visiting Chicago Cubs began like any other late-inning, three-run game. Nationals closer Sean Doolittle toed the slab in a save situation and retired Albert Almora Jr. for the first out. The next pitch is where the controversy officially became a game […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2019 MLB ANNOUNCES FORMAT OF PITCH TIMER DURING SPRING TRAINING Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced the format of a pitch timer that will be used during 2019 Spring Training games. No decision has been made on whether the timer will be used in regular season games. A 20-second pitch […]
Crazy Play That Happened in Dominican Republic Winter Ball The following play occurred in late November in a Dominican Republic winter league game between Gigantes and Toros. Gigantes had a runner on first when the batter hit a scorching line drive over the center fielder’s head. While the four umpires were rotating, the plate umpire […]
Under rule 5.10 (L), (3) (4), a manager is prohibited from making a second visit to the mound while the same hitter is at bat but if a pinch-hitter is substituted for the batter, the manager or coach may then make a second visit to the mound but must then remove the pitcher. The D’backs […]