February Tip of the Month
Clear the Catcher. On a pitch that gets by the catcher, you must clear the catcher and keep your eye on the ball. A common mistake made by amateur umpires is to remain in one spot and focus on the runners stealing bases. Nothing can happen without the ball! You must turn, back off from the plate and watch the ball. You must watch for the possibility of the ball going out of play, or the chance of a lodged ball. Watching the passed ball allows you to keep out of the catcher's way, if he chooses to throw the ball to somebody to make a play on a runner. Let the ball lead you to the play. Finally, youth league batters often have the bad habit of backing out of the box on a wild pitch when they shouldn't. You have to watch the catcher's attempt to throw out a runner to rule on any possible interference by the batter. … [Read More...]
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