The Homerun That Wasn't

Hey Stretch – how would you handle this mess?

Two on, one out. Batter hits long ball to left field and we watch it go over the fence right in front of the scoreboard – at least we think we watch it go over the fence. The field ump starts waiving his hand in a circle indicating a home run. Plate ump picks up on it and also signals a home run. Then suddenly the left fielder has a ball in his hand and throws it in. The two runners on base have scored by then and the batter finds himself in a rundown between second and third. He’s totally confused because he saw the umps signal a home run so he just stops. Shortstop tags him. Now the fans are yelling, the coaches are on the field and the umps are trying to figure out what happens next. They never ask the left fielder. He never comes in to explain what happened.

After the conference they decide to put the batter on third base and count the two runs. The opposing coach objects. They conference again. They decide to call it a ground rule double and put the batter on second and a runner on third and count only one run. The opposing coach finally accepts this.

You can just imagine how the fans are reacting to all this.

All the runners involved eventually scored on subsequent hits (including the batter who hit the homerun that wasn’t), so there was no riot! But the umps took a beating from the fans for the rest of the game.

The players saw the field ump at McDonald’s after the game and he said he did NOT believe the umps got it right. He said the ball either 1) bounced off the scoreboard and came back into the field or 2) the left fielder found an old ball at the base of the fence and picked it up and threw it in or 3) the LF had an extra ball in his pocket. I thought it was interesting that he offered these speculations.

What should the umpires have done once they realized that the ball was being thrown in from left field?

 

Another hidden ball trick today?

Great Guggly Muggly as Alan Harper would say. If I was the umpire I would have called time and ran to the car!!!

I would first go with my partner to see if we see the home run ball over the fence. If I see a ball out there then we let the HR stand, if not then we would say it must have bounced off the scoreboard and ruled it a ground rule double. (this would be wrong of course)

I would then pick my moment to ask the leftfielder what in the world happened. Regardless of what he told me I would still order a Big Mac combo with a Diet Dr Pepper at the Golden Arches!!

PS: If I was the home plate umpire I would ask to never work with that blind base umpire again!!!!!!

 

Excellent response, but of course I expected nothing less. One more question: you said you'd rule it a ground rule double if it hit the scoreboard and bounced back in. A hit that goes out of the park and hits the scoreboard is still a home run, right? Even if it bounces back into the field. It's not a ground rule double, is it? Now I'm confused.

Oh, and by the way the Big Mac combo is an excellent choice, and a far better selection than the crow the ump was apparently trying to eat.

 

How smart was that left fielder though if it was a homerun? To either find a ball or have one spare. That's what I call being prepared. That beats Hibriten's trick play.

 

Oh what a mess

Correct if the scoreboard is outside the fence it is a home run. Some fields might have it attached to the fence and it might still be a live ball but that would have to be covered in the pregame rules.

Back to the original MESS.....since the umps called it a home run in the first place and then all of a sudden the leftfielder has A (the) ball it would be best to assume it hit the scoreboard and continue to call it a home run. Of course these discussions by umpires are difficult because everyone is screaming and the umpires are having trouble breathing since they are so tight. (It really does sound like it most likely hit the scoreboard and came back onto the field which is definitely a home run so the umps should have stuck with the home run call.)

 

What was Hibriten's trick play?