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Question 1
THE SITUATION
Top of the eighth inning, Conroy on first, Winston on third, one
out, Bashers and Mashers tied at three. Mashers infield playing
in on the grass for a play at the plate. Big crowd on hand.
THE PLAY
Bashers hitter, Cookson, hits a wicked line drive to the left of
the second baseman, who lunges for the ball and deflects it off
Conroy's helmet as he is running toward second base. The
deflected ball goes directly off Conroy's helmet to the first
baseman who spears it in mid-air, hesitates in a moment of
indecision, then runs over to touch first base an instant after
a hustling Cookson crosses the bag. The first baseman, believing
it is a legal catch of the batted ball and a double play since
Conroy was long gone, then rolls the ball to the pitcher's
mound, and heads for the dugout, followed by his jubilant
teammates. Meanwhile,Winston scampers home and Conroy races all
the way around to score. (Keep in mind that the ball remained in
flight during the entire play, never touching the ground.)
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's
ruling.
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Question
2
THE
SITUATION
Seventh inning, Bashers
lead the Mashers, 5-3. Game is being played at Masher Park. A
steady rain has been falling since the fifth inning.
THE PLAY
In the top of the seventh,
Bashers Yaffe and Keenan single with two outs, and Reed cracks a
two-bagger, plating two runs for a 7-3 Basher lead. The teams
head to the bottom of the seventh. Leading off for the home-team
Mashers, Hancock smacks a double, and this is followed by a
Mitropoulos infield hit, putting runners on first and third for
Masher cleanup hitter, Loewenstein. Already with two extra-base
hits in the game that knocked in all three of the Masher runs,
Loewenstein gets a 2-2 pitch in his zone and belts it out of the
park, cutting the lead to 7-6. As the next batter, Mullaney,
steps to the plate, the rain gets heavier. Mullaney singles up
the middle. Juneau then cracks a double to left-center, putting
the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second. Still no
outs. Before the next hitter gets to the batter’s box for a
chance to tie the game for the Mashers or put them in the lead,
the rain forces the umpire to suspend play. After a two-hour
wait, the game is called, thus ending baseball for the day.
Is it an official game? If
not, do the teams replay it from the beginning or pick it up at
the point of suspension? If it is an official game, what’s the
final score?
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's
ruling.
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Question
3
THE
SITUATION
Runners on first and
third. One out. Mashers at bat in the bottom of the ninth,
trailing the Bashers, 8-7.
THE PLAY
With Casto on third and
Cirrone on first, DiGangi, the Mashers leading hitter, skies one
to deep right center and the centerfielder catches it on the
warning track after a long run. Casto tags up and scores easily.
Cirrone, thinking the ball would not be caught, takes off and
rounds second on the way to third when the third base coach
frantically waves him back. Cirrone puts on the brakes,
retouches second base, and darts back to first. The throw from
the centerfielder, however, beats him back to first base. The
Bashers celebrate Cirrone’s bonehead baserunning, thinking they
have put the game into the "W" column to keep their winning
streak alive at five with a game-ending double play. But, the
Mashers manager, Hurley, charges out of the dugout to argue the
run counts, making it an 8-8 game and going into extra innings.
The Bashers manager, Forcina, joins the discussion, arguing
vehemently that the play at first base was a force play on
Cirrone and that the run, therefore, did not count because the
force play was the third out of the inning.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's
ruling.
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Question
4
THE
SITUATION
Runners on first and
second, one out. Bashers lead Mashers, 4-3, with the Mashers
batting in the bottom of the fourth. Another great day for
baseball, with bright sunshine and not even a breeze.
THE PLAY
The batter is Mashers
slugger, Cirrone, who beefs loudly about a called strike on the
first pitch and comes within a whisker of being tossed by the
home plate umpire. Count goes to 2-1. On the next pitch, when
the Man-in-Blue bellows "Strrrrrrrike," Cirrone glares icily at
the umpire, not saying a word, though shaking his head in
disgust. On the 2-2 pitch, Cirrone crushes a high fastball over
the leftfield fence for a three-run homer. As he leaves the
batter’s box, Cirrone stops, turns, and blasts the umpire with
several pointed remarks, some of which were not suitable for the
large family gathering at Masher Stadium. Roughly translated,
Cirrone said, "I had to swing at that pitch, because the way
you’re calling this game, you’d have called it a strike and rung
me up. I couldn’t take the chance you’d blow another call!" The
umpire immediately gives Cirrone the gate with an emphatic thumb
and a "Outta here. You’re gone!" Cirrone then circles the bases.
Home run
or not?
YOU MAKE THE
CALL!
Click here for
the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 5
THE SITUATION
Top nine, one out, runners on first and second, Bashers lead
Mashers 9-8 in a see-saw battle between the bitter rivals.
THE PLAY
Siderewicz is on in relief of Kilpatrick for the Mashers.
Kilpatrick got banged around on this day, not having his good
stuff. Siderewicz, the league’s top closer, gets the first
hitter, but gives up back-to-back singles to Foster and Bono.
MacCausland strides to the plate. With the count 1-1, Siderewicz
comes to the set position, checks Foster at second and Bono at
first and then, while still in the set position, removes his
hand from the ball to swat an insect hovering near his eye. The
first base umpire and the home plate umpire immediately holler
"Balk" in unison. However, with the pitcher’s sudden movement,
Bono moves well off the bag and Siderewicz throws wild to first
base in an attempted pick-off, the ball sailing deep into foul
territory. Foster motors all way home. Bono dashes for second
and is waved on to third. The hustling second baseman for the
Bashers gets to the ball quickly and guns a strike to third
base, nailing the sliding Bono. Both managers rush onto the
field. Bashers skipper, Berg, heads straight to the home plate
umpire, contending that it is a dead ball on the balk, and each
runner automatically must advance one free base, placing Foster
on third, Bono on second. At the same time, Mashers manager,
Hurley, storms out to the first base umpire, loudly arguing that
it was not a balk in the first place because all his pitcher did
was swat a bug, and since it was not a balk, any ensuing play
should be nullified, with the runners returning to their
original bases. Two arguments going on. Players standing in
front of the dugouts, the crowd hollering. Bedlam reigns.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 6
THE SITUATION
Bashers manager Berg and Mashers manager Hurley had just
concluded their meeting at home plate with the umpires to
exchange lineup cards prior to the game at Mashers Park. On this
day, the Mashers skipper decided to give his big slugger Thomas
a day off from playing the field and inserted him into the DH
slot, with Flaherty, a frequent DH, taking over duties in RF.
Both players saw the lineup card posted on the dugout wall, with
their names in their familiar fourth and fifth slots in the
batting order. However, it did not register with either of them
that their playing duties had been flipflopped so, when the
Mashers took the field to start the game, Thomas ran out to his
customary spot in the right field. In the top of the first
inning, Masher hurler Spooner retired the Bashers in order.
THE PLAY
Mashers come to bat in the bottom of the first inning. Just as
the leadoff hitter, Glionna, strides to the plate. Basher
manager Berg asks for time and goes to the home plate umpire,
pointing out that Thomas was listed on the lineup card as the
DH, but had taken his spot in RF in the top of the first.
Therefore, argues Berg, Thomas must remain the rightfielder, and
the Mashers must forfeit use of a DH for the entire game, with
the pitcher now forced to bat in the fifth spot occupied by
Flaherty. The umpire, Guanci, calls Hurley from the dugout and
explains things. Hurley argues that, since Thomas had not come
to the plate, he is still the DH. Berg maintains he is correct
and that Hurley has misinterpreted the rules.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 7
THE SITUATION
Bashers lead Mashers, 8-3. Top of the seventh inning, Bashers at
the plate. Runner on first, one out.
THE PLAY
Bashers hitter Putney strikes out swinging on a low outside
curve. Catcher Cabana cannot handle the ball, and it rolls ten
feet behind him. Putney runs to first base and Ingersoll, the
runner, heads to second. Cabana quickly recovers the ball and
throws errantly to first base, the ball going all the way into
the rightfield corner. The speedy Ingersoll races all the way
around to score, with Putney ending up on third base. Mashers
manager Hurley darts from the dugout to confront the home plate
umpire. He loudly argues that the batter is automatically out
because first base was occupied at the time of the strikeout and
that Ingersoll must return to first base due to Putney’s
interfering with play when he ran to first base after striking
out.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 8
THE SITUATION
Masher and Bashers going at it once again at Basher Field. Score
stands at 4-4, bottom of the ninth, with the Bashers having a
runner on third with one down. Bashers have battled back from an
early 4-0 deficit. Spooner is sent up to pinch hit for Rountree.
Game had been interrupted twice by rain, but the field was
drenched in sunlight now. Mashers skipper Hurley had been tossed
in the second inning for arguing a strike call. It was his
second early gate in three games vs. the Bashers. Siderewicz was
acting manager in Hurley’s absence.
THE PLAY
With the count 2-2, pinchhitter Spooner swings at the ball. As
he swings, his bat hits the catcher’s glove before sending a fly
ball to shallow right field. The rightfielder makes the catch.
The runner on third, fleet-footed Slade, daringly tags up and
just beats the rightfielder’s throw to the plate. The crowd
erupts in cheering the Bashers’ apparent come-from-behind
victory. Immediately after the close play at the plate, acting
Masher manager Siderewicz storms out to argue that the catcher’s
interference nullified the sacrifice fly and that the game
should resume with the runner back on third base and two out.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 9
THE SITUATION
Bashers lead Mashers 4-3, Mashers just coming to bat in the
bottom of inning six. The Mashers fifth inning had ended with
Fessenden being thrown out attempting to steal, while O’Quinn
was at the plate and Cignetti, who followed O’Quinn in the
batting order, was in the on-deck circle. Fessenden had no jump
at all and was gunned out by 12 feet. (On the pitch, O’Quinn had
foultipped strike two into the catcher’s mitt.) Fifth inning
over. Bashers go down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth. Here we are
in bottom six.
THE PLAY
Cignetti strides to the plate to lead off the Masher sixth. On a
two-one pitch, he belts a shot to the leftcenterfield fence for
a standup double. The next hitter, DiDomenico, comes to the
plate. The first pitch is a called strike. All of a sudden
Basher skipper Berg bolts from the dugout, asks for time and,
waving his lineup card, declares to the home plate umpire that
Cignetti had batted out of turn. Berg pointed out that O’Quinn
was the batter when the previous inning ended with the
unsuccessful steal attempt and should have been the leadoff
hitter in this inning. Berg said further that Cignetti should
now be declared out for batting out of turn and that O’Quinn
should bat with one out, to be followed by Cignetti once again.
Masher manager Hurley stayed in the dugout, choosing not to
enter the discussion.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 10
THE SITUATION
Bashers hitting in the top of the 3rd inning, tied at
1 with the Mashers. No outs. Keenan on first, Cookson at the
plate.
THE PLAY
On a 3-2 pitch to Cookson, Keenan is running. Cookson takes a
low outside pitch for ball four. Not waiting for the umpire’s
call, the Basher catcher fires the ball to second base. Keenan
slides into the bag, beating the throw, but his momentum carries
him beyond the base, whereupon the second baseman tags him with
the ball before he can return.
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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Question 11
THE SITUATION
Bashers and Mashers playing the last game of a four-game series
at Masher Park. Mashers, looking for a sweep, lead 3-2 in the
bottom of the eighth.
THE PLAY
Leading off for the Mashers, the big slugger Renwick hits a shot
to the gap in left center. The ball takes a huge bounce and
disappears over the fence. The ever-alert second-base umpire,
Mortimer, immediately signals a ground-rule double and the ball
is dead. Renwick, head down and motoring, flies around first and
pulls into second. Standing on second base as a new ball is put
into play, Renwick, realizing he missed first base, returns to
the bag, touches it, then jogs to second for his ground-rule
double. The next hitter, Frick, strides to the plate. The first
pitch hits the dirt about two feet in front of the plate. Frick
swings, makes contact, and sends a bloop single to right,
scoring Renwick.
Any problem with any of this?
YOU MAKE THE CALL!
Click here for the Umpire-in-Chief's ruling.
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