A split-second decision by a Little League umpire has fans talking.
How would you rule on this one?
Let’s go to the Little League World Series regional and a game played Thursday between Nebraska and South Dakota where an umpire’s call has turned into a raging debate on Facebook.
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We have a simple pop-up play to the pitcher, but watch closely what happens between the hitter’s bat and the catcher who pops out of his stance to go make a play. The bat comes back, makes contact and the umpire loudly shuts down the play.
Remember, these are volunteer umpires.
That said, let’s hear from the Facebook umpiring experts who know exactly how they would’ve handled the situation.
First up, we have Michael who doesn’t disagree with the interference call, but he says it could’ve been handled differently.
“Made that call waaaay too quick. Make mental note let it play out. Conference with the umpire team on what tentative call is. Make a ruling. You can always put the runners back to their original bases,” Michael suggests.
That suggestion was immediately met with backlash.
“What? By rule, it’s an immediate dead ball. You don’t wait to let it play out,” a baseball dad fired back.
“You let it play out if it’s catcher’s interference, not batter’s interference,” another dad added.
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While those guys were arguing over the speed of the call, there were other dads arguing over the catcher being a protected infielder in this case.
“[I]t would be C2. ‘Any other movement,’” an umpiring expert chimed in while referencing what the Little League rulebook states.
“That is the broad statement that allows for umpires to determine whether it is an interfering act or not. In this case, with the ball being in between the plate and the mound, the catcher had a chance at the play. That part is undeniable. The batters back swing, a “movement”, causes the catcher to hesitate or pause. Which even for a half second is interference. High stakes game. High stakes call. Correctly made under pressure and I’m assuming a great explanation to the coach. Whether he likes it or not lol.”
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There are now over 1,000 comments on a single Facebook post from fans arguing over this call and ripping the ESPN announcers.
“I’ve yet to meet an announcer at this level that knows anything about the game, so saying the announcer is baffled doesn’t make me anymore interested in what is going on,” wrote another dad.
You get the idea. Nobody is safe this time of year with trips to Williamsport on the line.
As for the game, South Dakota won and eliminated Nebraska.
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