[MLB] Post Season Observations

[FredFan7]

Post any observations you see regarding the umpiring in this thread like we do in the weekly football observations.

[cball1985]

Pathetic call by Sam Holbrook. The infield fly rule should NOT have been called. The fans should not throw things on the field like they did, but that call was terrible.

[Deleted]

Classless ATL fans reaction on a very poor call, Sam probably is done for the year!

[cj]

Well Ron Darling makes the same point I always make (and I know some here will call me repetitive)....there is no need to put two additional umpires on the field during a game. All season, they work with 4 umpires, they should work with 4 umpires for post season games and have 2 alternates.

Here's the rule: An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.

Ordinary effort is in the eyes of the beholder.

Maybe we need replacement umpires.

[russ]

Horrible call by Sam Holbrook. He seems to make bad calls on a regular basis and always works LCS Games. Still a classless act by Atlanta fans.

[hank]

It is tough and frustrating to have a call like this in a one game playoff.

[cj]

Listening, reading and from my own experience. The call, in my opinion, was probably not correct although if the shortstop had made the catch, I wonder what everybody would be saying but that's neither here nor there.

But I've heard many umpires, not a majority by any means, saying it was the correct call. It reminds so much of the hysteria that went up n the disputed Green Bay-Seattle play.

Let's put it this way it was not an open and shut bad call say like the Jeffrey Maier play or the Phil Cuzzi call in the Minnesota game a few years ago. There was some basis to the call.

The question of the use of a six man crew did come up after the game and mlb tried to defend using six umpires. One rationale is you spread out the home plate assignments and don't see the same umpire behind the plate twice. Simple solution. Use all six umpires but only four are active, the other two ride the bicycle in the dressing room ready to got out on a moment's notice. The home plate umpire today rotates to the dressing room tomorrow and the first base umpire getting ready for the home plate job rotates to the dressing room.

Makes much more sense than what we're getting. I just don't see why it's so hard to understand this system doesn't work.

[Deleted]

The intent of the infield fly rule is so the defense does not take advantage of the
offense by purposely dropping the ball, and thus trapping all the runners near their
original base, and then having to advance because of the batter-runner. I was trained
to use the hand signal and simultaneously orally calling infield fly so that there would be
no confusion. Further, the timing is extremely important. It must be called within a second
or two. If there is reasonable doubt at that point, just back off. That is what the other
5 umpires did, and that is why I believe it was a poor decision. Any umpire can make the
call regardless of their position on the field. The reason that 6 umpires are used during the
playoffs is to make sure each base is covered during a play, especially when there are
multiple runners. The second reason is to have someone closer to the play for trapped
balls, and the third is for more eyes to see a fly ball going near/over the outfield wall and
for fair/foul balls along the line beyond the bases including a home run or foul ball at the
poles. What most observers remember are the times when an umpire along the lines
makes a bad call, and fail to remember all the better calls that are made because of their
additional position. Timing of the call was the error here because it was made so late that
it didn't fulfill the intent of why the rule was established.

[cj]

Now that a day has passed and we've listened to it from all sides. Here is my opinion.

1. By the strict letter of the law, the right call was made. I've heard some say the call has to be made immediately period. According to the rule book, the umpire should immediately call it when he is satisfied the conditions of the rule (the ball can be baught by an infielder with ordinary effort) are met. The shortstop stopped, held out in his I've got it. At that point it was the judgment of the left field umpire (whn shouldn't be out there but that's another story) that the ball couold be caught by ordinary effort and he made the call immediately. By the letter of the law, he is correct.

2. Does anybody say a word if the shortstop catches the ball?

3. Which is the whole point. Even in real life besides sports well intentioned laws or rules can be found to have warts after the fact and it only becomes clear when somebody benefits unfairly by the law Then it is tweaked. The statistics show that in the last 3 years, there were only 6 cases where infield fly calls were followed by the failure to catch the ball, that's 2 a season. And of course this was a post season game where there is much greater attention paid to these things. It may, as a matter of fact, it probably means the rule has to be tweaked (next paragraph) but as the rule is written today, the correct call was made (although I don't like the fact the infield umpires did not make the call).

3. So I am sure there will be language added to the rule like to tell the umpire in exercising his judment to consider (all in a split second of course) whether the infielder has a chance to get a double or triple play by not catching the ball. Or perhaps you want an arc placed in the outfield of all baseball fields say 150 feet away from home plate (an arbitrary figure, pick you own) outside of which the infield fly rule doesn't apply?

Again like so many of the other internet era made controversies, it was not the worst call in baseball history. For that, do a google search on Garcia, R.

[timdaye]

I am in full support of 6 umpires. But they need to move back more. They are too close to infield. They need to get closer to walls and foul poles so as to keep truant 12-year olds from reaching over fence to turn a deep fly ball into a home run.

[JugglingReferee]

I've always thought they should have an umpire in the outfield. He could start right/left of CF.

[BTFS Admin]

I guess I would like to see 6 umpires as well, so there isn't the possibility of any gaps in base coverage with the 4 man rotational system during a key moment of a game.

[Deleted]

thought Gerry Davis' strike zone was erratic tonight for Reds-Giants

[FredFan7]

Oct 6, 2012 5:45:30 GMT -5 @billump said:

The intent of the infield fly rule is so the defense does not take advantage of the
offense by purposely dropping the ball, and thus trapping all the runners near their
original base, and then having to advance because of the batter-runner. I was trained
to use the hand signal and simultaneously orally calling infield fly so that there would be
no confusion. Further, the timing is extremely important. It must be called within a second
or two. If there is reasonable doubt at that point, just back off. That is what the other
5 umpires did, and that is why I believe it was a poor decision. Any umpire can make the
call regardless of their position on the field. The reason that 6 umpires are used during the
playoffs is to make sure each base is covered during a play, especially when there are
multiple runners. The second reason is to have someone closer to the play for trapped
balls, and the third is for more eyes to see a fly ball going near/over the outfield wall and
for fair/foul balls along the line beyond the bases including a home run or foul ball at the
poles. What most observers remember are the times when an umpire along the lines
makes a bad call, and fail to remember all the better calls that are made because of their
additional position. Timing of the call was the error here because it was made so late that
it didn't fulfill the intent of why the rule was established.

Video of play: mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25336303&c_id=mlb

Umpires and Torre in post-game news conference: mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25338389&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_manager_postgame

[russ]

Oct 9, 2012 22:13:21 GMT -5 @kbyrd said:

thought Gerry Davis' strike zone was erratic tonight for Reds-Giants

Davis is always like that. Mostly, he is known for having a small strikezone. I agree he was a little erratic but I thought Dana Demuth was awesome during the Tigers-A's game tonight.