OT: Premature Celebration Leads to Wild End of HS Baseball Playoff Game in NY

[Colbert17!]

Defensive team is leading by one run in the bottom of the 7th, two outs, runner on second. Batter is called out on strikes but the catcher drops the ball. He picks it up and goes to tag the batter but it looks pretty clear that he misses. Home plate umpire gives the Safe signal and if you listen you can hear him call out "Safe". The catcher neither hears or sees him and puts the ball in his pocket and goes out to celebrate. Meanwhile the runner on second scores and the batter circles the bases for the winning run.
Most bizarre ending of a baseball game I've ever seen.

https://nypost.com/2023/05/28/ny-hi...nship-while-celebrating-dropped-strike-three/

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

very interesting.

The catcher seems to look toward first base after he misses the tag... I wonder if the first baseman was not covering because catcher does not make a throw.. and you see the second baseman sprint toward first.

Then, as the catcher is already celebrating with the pitcher, you see the catcher turn again toward the umpire and look at him.. then goes to celebrate again.

I wonder if everyone wearing red jerseys helped confuse everyone.

 

[zappaa]

If the catcher clearly misses the tag there shouldn’t be any verbal or physical response from the umpire, certainly not safe calls.

 

[Colbert17!]

I wonder if everyone wearing red jerseys helped confuse everyone.

I thought the same thing.

 

[newell138]

Brutal for that catcher

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

How about this angle... congrats to the batter for running it out.. and the guy on 2nd too.

Sure, the catcher was a big FAIL.. dragging all his teammates into that mess.. I hope they all can shrug it off and put it into the "lesson learned" category.. and I hope the catcher is forgiven by all.

But those kids on the winning team EARNED that win and they got that lesson reinforced in doing so.

Play it out!

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

If the catcher clearly misses the tag there shouldn’t be any verbal or physical response from the umpire, certainly not safe calls.

Umpires don’t make a non-verbal safe call with their arms on a missed tag attempt ?

 

[zappaa]

Umpires don’t make a non-verbal safe call with their arms on a missed tag attempt ?

Of course not.
He’s not safe, he’s still a runner.
From a reaction statement. No tag would be the only thing he says. and he shouldn’t say that

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Of course not.
He’s not safe, he’s still a runner.
From a reaction statement. No tag would be the only thing he says. and he shouldn’t say that

Got it

How about a line drive to the short shop , that hits the ground just before it goes into his glove, if you were on first base as a runner, would you expect an umpire to make any non-verbal signal ?

 

[zappaa]

Got it

How about a line drive to the short shop , that hits the ground just before it goes into his glove, if you were on first base as a runner, would you expect an umpire to make any non-verbal signal ?

Umpire should emphatically point at the ground.
His physical response could be a half assed repeated safe sign below his waist.
Much like Ref on an incomplete pass.

Catcher and 1st baseman were dumb asses either way

 

[rubaseball78_rivals]

All the catcher had to do was stay at home with the ball instead of celebrating. No one would have scored.

 

[zappaa]

All the catcher had to do was stay at home with the ball instead of celebrating. No one would have scored.

You wouldn’t have lost in such ridiculous fashion but you’d still have to get another out

 

[CollegeSenior]

Of course not.
He’s not safe, he’s still a runner.
From a reaction statement. No tag would be the only thing he says. and he shouldn’t say that

I was once umping a men’s softball game and somehow one of the pitchers and his team had the idea that if a throw of a batted ball to the outfield came into him, he could call time. And for reasons I couldn‘t figure the other team would go along with it and all runners would stop at whatever base they were on.

Finally, the situation arose when a runner paused at third base, waited for the team in the field to relax, strolled past third base and then darted home. “Safe”.

The pitcher and catcher erupted, “we called time!”

”This isn’t kickball. You can’t call timeout when a ball is in play,” I let them know.

 

[tico brown]

What’s even funnier was that the losing coach arguing with the umpire as if it was his fault that they lost the game. The other team knew the rules, they didn’t, that’s on them.

 

[zappaa]

I was once umping a men’s softball game and somehow one of the pitchers and his team had the idea that if a throw of a batted ball to the outfield came into him, he could call time. And for reasons I couldn‘t figure the other team would go along with it and all runners would stop at whatever base they were on.

Finally, the situation arose when a runner paused at third base, waited for the team in the field to relax, strolled past third base and then darted home. “Safe”.

The pitcher and catcher erupted, “we called time!”

”This isn’t kickball. You can’t call timeout when a ball is in play,” I let them know.

Hilarious.
However, as an umpire you do have sole discretion over whether you grant the time out request or not.
I’m sure there are rules in the book, but because you have complete control of the game it’s up to you to interpret those rules.

 

[zappaa]

Also Ruinac.
My shortstop playing daughter has a terrible habit of firing the ball to the pitcher immediately after receiving the ball from the outfielder.
Not only is she susceptible to the odd errant throw, sometimes the pitcher isn’t even ready for it.
I tell her to hold the ball, check runners and jog the ball in, but it rarely happens.
Teams picked up on it and starting taking extra bases and she finally learned.
Bad dad here, how in the world could I have raised a kid who did that…lol
Good rule, don’t even think about calling time out with the ball still in your glove, gotta have it in your throwing hand

 

[Ronnie_B]

I felt bad for the second baseman, he valiantly tried to alert his teammates to the diaster that was unfolding. He didn't deserve that fate, the catcher on the other hand....

 

[ScarletteK80]

Also Ruinac.
My shortstop playing daughter has a terrible habit of firing the ball to the pitcher immediately after receiving the ball from the outfielder.
Not only is she susceptible to the odd errant throw, sometimes the pitcher isn’t even ready for it.
I tell her to hold the ball, check runners and jog the ball in, but it rarely happens.
Teams picked up on it and starting taking extra bases and she finally learned.
Bad dad here, how in the world could I have raised a kid who did that…lol
Good rule, don’t even think about calling time out with the ball still in your glove, gotta have it in your throwing hand

Oh your poor kid, having you at a game to supervise, LOL. Back in the olden days when I played 2B my parents were working in Manhattan, and I was playing in the far reaches in Brooklyn.

 

[zappaa]

Oh your poor kid, having you at a game to supervise, LOL. Back in the olden days when I played 2B my parents were working in Manhattan, and I was playing in the far reaches in Brooklyn.

I can’t say a word at my kids high school games…. Coach gets mad.
I dare say if i could speak up, we’d have won a half a dozen more games.
The coaching strategies on defense are atrocious at best.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

About teh video again.. it kinda looks like the UMP punched forward for strike three call.. or maybe I am being influence by the announcer yelling Strike Three!

So.. if he did call strike three verbally and with his motion... I doubt he called "out" verbally

A) is that acceptable or should he have waited to make sure the catcher caught it?

B) if he was fooled and did not realize the catcher dropped it until the catcher attempted a tag... is allowing play to continue the correct outcome?

 

[80RU]

My take -- based on is initial movements, I think the catcher DID know that he had to throw to first -- but I suspect that the first baseman had already joined the celebration so there was no one to throw to. I think he just made the silly mistake of hoping that no one realized the ball was still in play, so he tried not to call attention to it and joined the celebration. Now of course, holding the ball would only have yielded runners at the corners and another at bat -- but in spite of the obvious calculus, kids make foolish split-second decisions.

 

[80RU]

I can’t say a word at my kids high school games…. Coach gets mad.
I dare say if i could speak up, we’d have won a half a dozen more games.
The coaching strategies on defense are atrocious at best.

My brother-in-law was a Div. I FB player, and a student of the game. Watching his three sons being coached in HS football was TORTURE for him, so I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you.

Also, I wonder if the coaches had a built-in resentment for you. They punished my brother-in-law through the kids. One year his middle kid was the leader in rushing and total yards on offense AND called all the plays and was the leading tackler on defense. My sister refused to go to the awards banquet saying that the coach would not give my nephew the MVP based on his resentment towards my brother-in-law. She was right -- a one-way receiver with about 20 catches was the MVP.

Being a parent who knows more than the coach can be brutal.

 

[zappaa]

My brother-in-law was a Div. I FB player, and a student of the game. Watching his three sons being coached in HS football was TORTURE for him, so I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you.

Also, I wonder if the coaches had a built-in resentment for you. They punished my brother-in-law through the kids. One year his middle kid was the leader in rushing and total yards on offense AND called all the plays and was the leading tackler on defense. My sister refused to go to the awards banquet saying that the coach would not give my nephew the MVP based on his resentment towards my brother-in-law. She was right -- a one-way receiver with about 20 catches was the MVP.

Being a parent who knows more than the coach can be brutal.

I’m actually good with the coach, she’s a nice person and wonderful with my daughter….just clueless.
Her rule is a blanket that covers every parent,
If she said to me, can you help during the game with infield defense, I’d have saved 100 runs over the course of the year

 

[RutgersDom]

If the catcher clearly misses the tag there shouldn’t be any verbal or physical response from the umpire, certainly not safe calls.

Right but safe helps the catcher even more right? Crazy

 

[RutgersDom]

You wouldn’t have lost in such ridiculous fashion but you’d still have to get another out

Right but what catches would stand at home if they thought they won a championship? He SHOULD have asked the ump if he was out. Just make sure.

 

[voltz99]

Looked to me like he made the tag. He picked the ball up and tried to make a tag. If he missed the tag I doubt he would have started celebrating.

 

[zappaa]

Looked to me like he made the tag. He picked the ball up and tried to make a tag. If he missed the tag I doubt he would have started celebrating.

Close to a Yogism

 

[ashokan]

Defensive team is leading by one run in the bottom of the 7th, two outs, runner on second. Batter is called out on strikes but the catcher drops the ball. He picks it up and goes to tag the batter but it looks pretty clear that he misses. Home plate umpire gives the Safe signal and if you listen you can hear him call out "Safe". The catcher neither hears or sees him and puts the ball in his pocket and goes out to celebrate. Meanwhile the runner on second scores and the batter circles the bases for the winning run.
Most bizarre ending of a baseball game I've ever seen.

https://nypost.com/2023/05/28/ny-hi...nship-while-celebrating-dropped-strike-three/

According to a commenter on the twitter post

 

[rubaseball78_rivals]

You wouldn’t have lost in such ridiculous fashion but you’d still have to get another out

True. I was assuming he would tag the guy coming home.

 

[RedTeamUpstream94]

I felt bad for the second baseman, he valiantly tried to alert his teammates to the diaster that was unfolding. He didn't deserve that fate, the catcher on the other hand....

good catch. yeah seems he was the only one on D who was on to it. he reacted pretty instantly. problem is that he didnt know what to do - maybe because he didnt know where the ball was?

 

[RUtix4me]

@zappaa i am glad my brother’s girlfriend was your nieces coach and not your daughters’s lol.

 

[MoreCowbellRU]

I can’t say a word at my kids high school games…. Coach gets mad.
I dare say if i could speak up, we’d have won a half a dozen more games.
The coaching strategies on defense are atrocious at best.

My daughter stopped at mid-court in a varsity basketball game and shushed me.
I laughed my *** off.
I got a smart *** smile next time up the court. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

 

[Erial_Lion_rivals140457]

If the catcher clearly misses the tag there shouldn’t be any verbal or physical response from the umpire, certainly not safe calls.

Not sure what mechanic the Federation prefers on this one…but the little League mechanic is to give a safe signal if the catcher doesn’t catch it cleanly…and I’d verbalize a “no tag, no tag” if the catcher missed the tag as part of this play while continuing to give a safe signal.