Stump the Ump -July 2010

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The following questions pertain to Tournament Rules or Regular Season Rules that are also in effect for Tournament Games.

1. In a Little League Baseball Tournament game, James plays defense for three consecutive defensive outs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first inning when James is scheduled to bat, the manager requests time and substitutes John to bat for James. The opposing manager protests the substitution and the umpire agrees stating that James must bat to meet his mandatory play before being removed for a substitute.
True or False?

False – Tournament Rule 10 c. – A starter does not have to meet mandatory play before being removed for a substitute but a substitute must meet the mandatory play requirements before being removed from the lineup.

2. In a Little League Baseball Tournament game, Charles plays the position of catcher
for three innings. In the fourth inning Charles takes the mound as the pitcher and pitches the fourth and fifth inning, throwing 35 pitches. In the sixth inning Pete replaces Charles as the pitcher and Charles returns to the position of catcher. The opposing manager protests Charles’ move back to catcher but the umpire says the move is legal.

True or False?

True – Tournament Rule 4 – Regulation VI (a) Exception – Since Charles did not play the position of catcher for four (4) or more innings he was eligible to go in and pitch. Since Charles did not throw 41 or more pitches as a pitcher, he is eligible to return to the position of catcher.

3. In a Little League Tournament game, William pitches three (3) innings and throws
Fifty-seven (57) pitches. When the fourth inning starts the manager has removed William from the mound and placed him at the shortstop position. In the sixth inning the manager returns William to the mound to finish the game. The umpire allows this since William did not reach his maximum pitch count total of eighty-five (85) pitches before being removed from the mound.

True or False?

False – Tournament Rule 4 c. – Pitchers once removed from the mound may not return as a pitcher.

4. The batter hits a ball into the outfield. When the batter-runner is rounding first base
he/she is inadvertently tripped by the first baseman and falls to the ground. The base umpire immediately calls “Time” and awards the batter-runner second base.

True or False?

False – Rule 2.00 Obstruction & 7.06 (b) – The obstructed runner was NOT being played on, so the play should have stayed live until either the obstructed runner was played on or all play was finished.

5. A batter steps into the batter’s box and hits the first pitch for a double. The
defensive manager requests time and appeals to the umpire that the batter is out for batting out of order. The umpire checks this situation out and determines that the batter is an unannounced substitute and rules that the batter is a legal and is allowed to remain at second base.

True or False?

True – Rule 3.08 – (a) (2) – By rule a substitute shall be considered to have entered the game when as a batter, the substitute takes a position in the batter’s box. Any play by or on the unannounced substitute shall be legal.

6. In a Junior League Tournament Baseball doubleheader, John comes into the game
as a pitcher and pitches the sixth and seventh innings of the first game, throwing 29 pitches. As John is warming up on the mound for the start of the second game, the opposing manager protests to the umpires that a Junior League pitcher can not pitch in two games in a day. The umpire disagrees with the manager and allows John to pitch in the second game.

True or False?

True - Tournament Rule 4 exception & Regulation VI – In Junior and Senior League a pitcher may pitch in two games in a day providing the pitcher has not thrown thirty-one (31) or more pitches in the first game.

7. A Tournament team has fourteen (14) players on it’s affidavit but at game time, two of the players are stuck in traffic and can not make it to the game site until after the game has started. The game starts with the team having two adult coaches in the dugout, in the third inning the two other players arrive giving the team 14 players. The umpires allow the third coach to be in the dugout because by rule if the team his fourteen players they are allowed to have three adult coaches in the dugout.
True or False?

False - Tournament Rule – page T-4 – Managers/Coaches in the Dugout – Because the team only had twelve (12) players at the game site at game time the team is only allowed to have two adult coaches in the dugout for the remainder of that game.

8. In a Little League Softball Tournament game, team A scores four (4) runs in the top of the fourth inning to make the score 12 to 0 in favor of the visiting team A. At this point the umpire declares that the game is over on the 10-run rule before Team B can bat in the bottom of the fourth.
True or False?

False – Tournament Rule T12 – NOTE: - If the visiting team has a lead of ten (10) or more runs, the home team must bat in their half of the inning.

9. In a Little League Softball game, the runner leaves the base to attempt to advance
as the pitcher releases the ball. The base umpire calls “Time, no pitch, the runner is out for leaving early” and states that the runner must keep contact with the base until the ball reaches the batter.

True or False?

False – Rule 7.08 (a) (5) – In 10-11, 11-12, Junior, Senior and Big League the runner is out when the runner fails to keep contact with the base to which that runner is entitled until the ball has been released by the pitcher.

10. In a Little League Softball game a pitcher pitches three (3) innings and is removed
from the mound and goes to play the shortstop position. In the sixth inning the opposing team has started to rally, so the manager replaces the pitcher with the original pitcher who pitched the first three innings. The umpire does not allow the pitcher to return saying that once a pitcher has been removed from the mound she can not pitch again in that game.

True or False?

False – Tournament Rule T4 – A pitcher remaining in the game but moving to a different position can return as a pitcher anytime in the remainder of the game but only once in the same inning as she/he was removed.