another you make the call

Playoff game friday night. Batter popped up towards dugout. Catcher caught the ball as she ran into post by the dugout which did not have a gate. Umpire called dead ball and put batter back in the box who eventually scored.???

 

Did the ball touch anything before being caught?
Was the ball caught in the glove/hand? (You cant trap the ball.)

 

I'm visualizing the post being one of the two posts that are the gateway into the dugout. If the glove, ball or the player's foot contacted "the inside" of the dugout before the catch, then the umpire was correct.

If the player was wholy outside the dugout, made the catch then slammed into the dugout entrance, that's a "catch-and-carry."

 

Ball was cleanly caught . No part of the catcher was in the dead zone when ball was caught. Umpire said in his judgement the ball was in the dead zone when it was caught.

 

You can't argue a judgement call.

 

Dead zone?

It doesn't matter where the ball was, but where the fielder was when she caught the ball. If the fielder has any part of the body in dead ball territory when she caught the ball then it is a no catch. If the fielder caught the ball then made contact with dead ball territory then its a catch and carry.

The playoffs are the only time NC allows protests so why did the coach not protest the misapplication of the rules?

The umpire said the ball was in dead ball territory and not the fielder.

 

That's true, but you need to be sure you get the umpire to clearly say "In my judgement: the ball was in dead ball territory, even though the fielder was not." Then you can protest the rules application. Otherwise, when you start to outline the protest the missaplication, quite a few umpires will "clarify" what they said.

 

You don't know until you try. These are the situations when the coach needs to battle for his team, not when his players are watching the third strike or a runner is called out on a banger.

 

Very good point.... too many forget, on any disputable call, to always rule out the judgment first then go after the rule interpretation. IF you flip it around the umpire will always make it an argument about judgment and not the rule.

 

....explain "catch and carry" please blue.
Thanks RHPal

Fish