You Make The Call - March 2015

You Make The Call

A new season is right around the corner. You say you know the rules. Let’s try these questions and see how prepared you really are. 

1. On a long drive belted toward the stands, the left fielder races to the wall, leaps to make the grab and then falls into the stands headfirst. At the time there is one out and a runner on second. What is the ruling?

2. 3-0 count on batter, runner on second. Pitcher balks as he delivers ball 4 to the batter. What is the ruling? Also same situation, but runner is on first.

3. The home manager turns in two lineup card which it develops are not identical. The umpire’s copy shows the shortstop batting seventh and the pitcher hitting ninth. The card which is to be given the visitor’s manager, however, lists the pitcher in both the 7 and 9 sports, an error which the umpire failed to note. In the third inning, the visiting manager comes to the plate, pulls out the lineup card and asks for a ruling. What is it?

4. A hard grounder is hit at the first baseman. It hops off his glove and drops inside his shirt, which was not buttoned at the top. Seeing he will be unable to extricate the ball before the batter reaches first, the fielder places his hand over the shirt to grasp the ball and beats the man to first. Is this legal.

5. A two-out, bases-loaded carries over the right fielder’s head and three runs score while the batter advances to third. En route, however, the batter misses second base. The shortstop calls for the ball, touches second and appeals. What is the ruling?

6. The pitcher is at bat with runners on second and third and two out. The manager signals for a steal. The catcher, in his anxiety to get the runner coming home, jumps in front of the plate and interferes with the batter’s swing. However, he succeeds in tagging the runner before he reaches home. What is the call?

7. Racing toward third base on a triple, the runner collides with an umpire who is in the base line. The runner falls and is tagged out. What’s the proper call?

8. Instead of taking a stretch with runners on base, the pitcher simply brings his hands together in front of him, pauses briefly, then delivers. Sometimes he pauses for several seconds and other times he pitches almost immediately after bringing his hands together. Is this legal?

9. The batter cannot be called out for interference as long as he is in the batter’s box. True or False

10. With a left-handed hitter at the plate, the catcher unintentionally strikes his bat as he throws to second base in an effort to catch a base-stealer. Can the batter be penalized for interference?

Answers to Quiz