jmog;1165097 wrote:Doesn't have to have the ball but has to be in the process of receiving the ball. As in the throw is almost home. You can block the plate without the ball but the ball better be on the way to you from an infielder or the catcher can be called for obstruction.

thavoice;1165113 wrote:Typically what a catcher will do is place himself in front of the plate, just to the 3rd base side of it. WHen the ball is in flight to home you plant your foot at the front corner of the plate and catch and tag

If the catcher is waiting for the ball and is blocking the plate, that should be an easy slide around. You aren't going to get called out for "out of the baseline."
If the catcher is receiving the ball just as you're getting there, you better make a really good slide AROUND the catcher for the point of the plate.
If the catcher already has the ball, you're fucked.

Sophomore year of college I rounded third and was sent home. My slow ass was thrown out by a mile. The catcher went for a lean forward type of tag where his head went down a little bit so I attempted to jump over him by putting my hand on his head and, I guess, propelling myself over him. Now, I still don't think he tagged me, but I was called out on a tag. And nothing else happened. When I went back out to catch, the ump said it was a good job avoiding contact.

My understanding is this: the catcher can only block the plate when there is a play on the runner who is CLOSEST. As a catcher, I can't stand in front of the plate waiting for a throw to get the second runner when the first runner is coming. Any type of incidental contact or a hard slide is normally allowed. Just no lowered shoulder attack.

pnhasbeen;1165155 wrote:If the catcher is waiting for the ball and is blocking the plate, that should be an easy slide around. You aren't going to get called out for "out of the baseline."
If the catcher is receiving the ball just as you're getting there, you better make a really good slide AROUND the catcher for the point of the plate.
If the catcher already has the ball, you're ****ed.

Sophomore year of college I rounded third and was sent home. My slow ass was thrown out by a mile. The catcher went for a lean forward type of tag where his head went down a little bit so I attempted to jump over him by putting my hand on his head and, I guess, propelling myself over him. Now, I still don't think he tagged me, but I was called out on a tag. And nothing else happened. When I went back out to catch, the ump said it was a good job avoiding contact.

My understanding is this: the catcher can only block the plate when there is a play on the runner who is CLOSEST. As a catcher, I can't stand in front of the plate waiting for a throw to get the second runner when the first runner is coming. Any type of incidental contact or a hard slide is normally allowed. Just no lowered shoulder attack.

in hs you can be ejected for going airborne as well. since the influx of metal cleates it has benn illegal to try to jump over any player. i have seen it happen several times resulting in ejections.

pnhasbeen;1165155 wrote:If the catcher is waiting for the ball and is blocking the plate, that should be an easy slide around. You aren't going to get called out for "out of the baseline."
If the catcher is receiving the ball just as you're getting there, you better make a really good slide AROUND the catcher for the point of the plate.
If the catcher already has the ball, you're ****ed.

Sophomore year of college I rounded third and was sent home. My slow ass was thrown out by a mile. The catcher went for a lean forward type of tag where his head went down a little bit so I attempted to jump over him by putting my hand on his head and, I guess, propelling myself over him. Now, I still don't think he tagged me, but I was called out on a tag. And nothing else happened. When I went back out to catch, the ump said it was a good job avoiding contact.

My understanding is this: the catcher can only block the plate when there is a play on the runner who is CLOSEST. As a catcher, I can't stand in front of the plate waiting for a throw to get the second runner when the first runner is coming. Any type of incidental contact or a hard slide is normally allowed. Just no lowered shoulder attack.

100% agree. It is pretty easy to slide around a catcher. As a runner you are already outside the baseball either from rounding 3rd or taking your lead in foul territory, and the catcher is typicallly set up in front and inside the baseline. The catcher doesnt wanna get run over either. Even tho he has gear on he doesnt wanna be on the receiving end of a guy running full speed so he isnt going to put himself in a position to totally block the runner until he has the ball covered up and trying to apply a tag. As the runner ya can slide far on the outside and get to the plate

Gblock;1165167 wrote:in hs you can be ejected for going airborne as well. since the influx of metal cleates it has benn illegal to try to jump over any player. i have seen it happen several times resulting in ejections.

Didn't know this. I guess it kinda makes sense. Soft though.

High school ball change that the catcher has to have the ball to block the plate.

I've been coaching baseball and softball for the past 23 years and I can't ever recall the rule being any other way. But the rule is not just for plays at the plate. You cannot initiate hard contact whether you are a runner OR a fielder or at any base. Some leagues go a bit further and say you must slide at a play at the plate (or even any base)...the operative word there is 'play'...that is, an incoming throw in the proximity. I can't remember what it was when I played Little League, but I do not remember purposeful hard contact ever being allowed. Sometimes it is called at the umpires discretion.

To go further on the high school rule. Even if the runner is obstructed by the catcher without the ball it doesn't give him free reign to run into him, he still has to avoid contact. If in the judgement of the umpire the contact can't be avoided the runner is okay if you guys run through naturally if the runner lowers his shoulder or throws a forearm it still can be considered malicious contact which supersedes everything.

Its been the rule since I was playing back in the early 90s. plus, i think a runner sliding around the catcher is more of an exciting play anyway.

justincredible;1165066 wrote:Yeah, this is my problem with it. I'm glad baseball hadn't been pussified before I stopped playing.

I played 23 years ago, and that was a rule then.

All these people saying it was a rule 30 years ago, but did they fucking enforce it???????????????????

Big_Mirg_ZHS;1165365 wrote:All these people saying it was a rule 30 years ago, but did they ****ing enforce it???????????????????

I played LL from 1983 until HS in 1993 and it was most definitely enforced.

The way the rule was being discussed at first made it seem like any collision at the plate was going to lead to an ejection. At least that is how I read it and that is where my comments came from. I was involved in a lot of collisions and never had a problem.

Ask ccrunner. I bet he watches all kinds of little league baseball.

thavoice;1165040 wrote:Yes, that is the rule, and it has been that way for quite awhile. Some will say that the runner "has to slide" but that is not the case. The runner has to avoid contact.
The rule is an ejection, and at the HS level you are gone for two games.

It can be tricky at times. If the catcher is blocking the plate ya best is to slide. I have seen incidental contact, some of it pretty severe, and most times taht is when the ball is thrown up the 3rd base line and the catcher and runner collide.

It has been a rule for quite a long time now.

This is how I've known it and I haven't played Little League for 15 years.

I did get called out once for "not sliding" when there was a play at the plate. Stupid call, ended the game. It was an all-star game and I touched homeplate, took 3-4 steps toward the first base bench where we were, then the catcher caught the ball...umpire called me out for not sliding on a close play at the plate. There was no contact or anything.

justincredible;1165370 wrote:The way the rule was being discussed at first made it seem like any collision at the plate was going to lead to an ejection. At least that is how I read it and that is where my comments came from. I was involved in a lot of collisions and never had a problem.

ejection no. but it is an out whether you were safe or not.

Glory Days;1165408 wrote:ejection no. but it is an out whether you were safe or not.

I don't remember that being the case. If I slide under a tag at the plate I'm still going to collide with the catcher, even if just a little bit. I was not called out every time I slid under a tag and ended up hitting the catcher.

justincredible;1165410 wrote:I don't remember that being the case. If I slide under a tag at the plate I'm still going to collide with the catcher, even if just a little bit. I was not called out every time I slid under a tag and ended up hitting the catcher.

Justin justin justin.........I thought it was pretty much understood that everyone was talking about making contact with the catcher when you were NOT sliding! Of course you will make contact many times when ya slide.

Many people think the rule was you have to slide...but the rule really is avoiding contact. You slide into homeplate and you are pretty much not going to have any issues with gettng ejected, and if the catcher drops it you will be safe.
The issue in this thread is for making contact when you dont slide

OSH..I know that some LL's would call a kid out if he did not slide at home and there was a play at the plate. It was chinsy many times but I had saw that called before. In those instances it wasnt an ejection, just an out. Was your instance in like LL?

I ran over my share of catchers and was out or safe depending on whether he kept the ball. Although i will say summer league baseball was a big deal. We would always have battle with newark and never was this called. I will say i was beaned a couple times after running over catchers.

Of course i would pass it off as a bad head first slide ala pete rose. I was never the best at sliding.

Many people think the rule was you have to slide...but the rule really is avoiding contact. You slide into homeplate and you are pretty much not going to have any issues with gettng ejected, and if the catcher drops it you will be safe.
The issue in this thread is for making contact when you dont slide

really it is about barrelling into a fielder...or malicious contact.....and it can be at any base. Some youth leagues have an additional rule that you must slide at home when a play is being made on you.

thavoice;1165042 wrote: A year ago my step sons coach went ballistic on an umpire when his player ran over the catcher. Even worse, after the game he told the team that the umpire LOST the game for them because of this call, and told the players "to keep running over the catcher" because if you jar the ball loose you will be safe.

I interjected after the game as the coach was folloiwng the ump to the car arguing the rule.

Where was your wife when all this was going on?

thavoice;1165420 wrote:OSH..I know that some LL's would call a kid out if he did not slide at home and there was a play at the plate. It was chinsy many times but I had saw that called before. In those instances it wasnt an ejection, just an out. Was your instance in like LL?

Yeah, I was not ejected. It was actually the last play of the game and I would've scored the game-tying run. The umpired called me out when there clearly wasn't really a play at the plate. I think he must've had dinner on the table.

Nothing to do with blocking the plate, but I got ejected in the playoffs my senior year of high school for throwing my bat after a hit. I was the leadoff, and was 3/3 with two doubles. Got a warning on the second hit and was gone after the third. I still have no idea what I did. Never had a warning before in my life up to that point. I don't think I threw the bat either time, but I guess I could have and the ump was adamant. We lost by one run, an I'm still pissed about it.

GOONx19;1165872 wrote:Nothing to do with blocking the plate, but I got ejected in the playoffs my senior year of high school for throwing my bat after a hit. I was the leadoff, and was 3/3 with two doubles. Got a warning on the second hit and was gone after the third. I still have no idea what I did. Never had a warning before in my life up to that point. I don't think I threw the bat either time, but I guess I could have and the ump was adamant. We lost by one run, an I'm still pissed about it.

I almost got ejected one time for threatening to throw the bat at the pitcher...good times .

I know I will get a "Cool Story Bro" but whatever.

I was playing in a college wood bat summer league and a couple innings earlier I had broken up a double play at 2B pretty hard. Perfectly legal but the other team took offense to it.

My next time up the first two pitches were at my head. I can handle a bean ball and wouldn't have been that upset if it was at my back/hip/etc. However, head is bush league.

So, after the 2nd pitch, before I stepped back into the box I pointed at the plate with my bat and said "The plate's over there".

The pitcher replied "I'm not aiming at the plate". I then asked the ump if he was going to do anything about the pitcher admitting he was throwing at me. No reply.

I look at the pitcher and said "I can promise you one thing, if the next pitch comes at my head this bat will come flying back at you. Trust me, the bat will hurt far worse than the ball."

The next few pitches were over the plate.

I almost got ejected for that one, I was ejected 1 time in my career and it was in that league, but that is another story.

jmog;1165956 wrote:I almost got ejected one time for threatening to throw the bat at the pitcher...good times .

I know I will get a "Cool Story Bro" but whatever.

I was playing in a college wood bat summer league and a couple innings earlier I had broken up a double play at 2B pretty hard. Perfectly legal but the other team took offense to it.

My next time up the first two pitches were at my head. I can handle a bean ball and wouldn't have been that upset if it was at my back/hip/etc. However, head is bush league.

So, after the 2nd pitch, before I stepped back into the box I pointed at the plate with my bat and said "The plate's over there".

The pitcher replied "I'm not aiming at the plate". I then asked the ump if he was going to do anything about the pitcher admitting he was throwing at me. No reply.

I look at the pitcher and said "I can promise you one thing, if the next pitch comes at my head this bat will come flying back at you. Trust me, the bat will hurt far worse than the ball."

The next few pitches were over the plate.

I almost got ejected for that one, I was ejected 1 time in my career and it was in that league, but that is another story.

I have been ejected twice as a coach.

1st was BS. Asst coach was the one yelling at the umpire. He calls time, comes over and says "your outta here". My buddy gets his stuff, starts walking out of the dugout and the ump says "No, YOU (pointing at me)". We all had a good laugh afterwards. It was in the 4th inning of a game that went 10.

This guy who shoulda been ejected had coached in the great lakes collegiate league for 10 years and in that league he said that ya got 2 free ejections before you had to sit, and he used them every year. He said at times, in the heat of the summer, full of kids from around the country, that ya gotta stick up for them and sometimes that was a way to fire them up. He had some classic ejections with a good umpire who only had one eye.



2nd one I kind of deserved. We had this ump the night before in the second game of a round robin DH. He was talking how our game was going so long he may be late for work as he worked 3rd shift. He did a good job. Game got over at 1115pm. Next day we had a short turn around and played at 1030 and 1pm. Guess who had both the games? Same guy. He did a DH fri night, worked 12-8am, and then two games starting at 1030. He made some atrocious calls in the second game..some that were so comical from both sides. I think what got me ejected was after a bad called I counted through the 5 terrible calls he had in the game up to that point on both sides. I ddint cuss at all...but What was the last straw though was when I told him that the last inning their fielder tagged our guy so hard that he fell down and that he called him safe saying he missed the call. I think when I argued that he made a terrible call that benefited us was enough.

Cool story.