Don’t “Kill the Umpire”

If You Did, You’d Kill Baseball

By Bill Stewart,Dean of National League Umpires

Pages 38–41 · Phillips Petroleum Company, 1953

Whenever I hear a leather-lunged fan yell, “Kill the umpire!” I feel like replying, “Yeah, kill the umpire and you’d kill baseball.”

And that’s a fact. Baseball never could have developed into such a popular sport and profitable business if umpires through the years had not contributed honesty, hustle and conscientiousness.

The nature of baseball creates countless situations which require an impartial and well-trained observer to make hairline decisions. Such decisions influence the results of most close games. The team entitled to victory frequently would be denied its just reward if these decisions were not honestly judged or capably rendered.

The home run slugger can strike out with the bases full. The shortstop can boot a double play grounder. The manager can leave a pitcher on the rubber too long. The pitcher can tighten up under pressure and groove a home-run ball. Such mistakes the fans will accept as part of the game. But let the umpire rule a visiting player safe at first when it appears to the stands the ball has beaten him to the bag, and the home fans are convinced the ump is either blind or an out-and-out robber. Or both. It never occurs to the fan that the umpire, like the player, is human, and that he will make a mistake occasionally. Or, as is more likely, he was in a better position to see the play than anybody in the entire ball park.

Take that close play at first base. Have you ever wondered why the umpire at first base shifts from a position on the foul line to a spot several feet inside the line whenever a grounder is hit to the shortstop?

He makes that shift so he can see if the first baseman really gets possession of the ball on low throws into the dirt, and if his foot keeps contact with the bag when he stretches. Should the ump remain in foul territory on such a play and thus permit the back of the first baseman to block his complete vision, a low throw could be momentarily fumbled and he’d be as unaware of it as any fan sitting in the stands behind first base.

I’ve seen low throws on such plays skip off the dirt and roll up the arm of the first baseman before he gained complete control of the ball. Yet, when I have correctly ruled the runner safe because of this slight fumbling while he was crossing the bag, the fans in the stands behind first have called my attention to what they assumed was a bad decision. And they have kept it up for several innings. They simply didn’t know what had actually happened. They were not in position to see.

One of baseball’s most controversial plays is the double play pivot. In his effort to keep from being knocked down by the runner sliding in to break up the play, the shortstop or second baseman making the pivot seldom appears to have his foot on the bag. To most everybody in the stands he seems to cross the bag before he gets the ball. Occasionally, he does. But most of the time he ticks the bag by drawing his rear foot across the corner while in full motion. This ticking is seen by the umpire. He is standing there and watching nothing else. Nearly everybody else is watching the pivot man make the throw. They complain about something they think they have been watching.

I was criticized loudly and long once for permitting a batter a home run inside the park. Here were the conditions. Just after he got his glove on the ball, the outfielder collided with the fence. He was knocked unconscious and the ball was dislodged from his grasp. The rules say the batter cannot be declared out until his fly ball has been caught and held by the outfielder under such control that he has gotten rid of it by a throw. (The same rule applies when a collision of two outfielders dislodges the ball from the grasp of one.) So I had no alternative but to permit the batter, no play being made on him, to circle the bases for a homer.

A situation that frequently gets an umpire into hot water is the half swing of the batter. If the batter breaks his wrists, he has made a complete swing; if not, he hasn’t. The umpire behind the plate makes the decision unless, for some reason, he can’t see the play. Occasionally, a big catcher may obstruct his vision. In such a case, the plate umpire, if he so desires, can request a decision from one of the other umpires. This is known as an appeal.

On half-swing decisions you frequently see a manager rush from his bench out to the plate umpire and request an appeal. On such occasions, sometimes, you have seen the plate umpire confer with the other umpires. At other times he refused. In the first instance, his vision was obstructed and he wanted verification by his mates. In the second instance, he was sure he had seen whether the batter broke his wrists.

On some plays, umpires rotate their responsibilities even with four umps working, one at each base. Suppose the batter lofts a soft fly ball into short right center. The second base umpire may rush into the outfield. He wants to be close enough to determine whether the outfielder actually gets his glove under the ball or makes a quick pick-up — a trap. Now, suppose on this play there are no runners on base. Then you will notice the third base umpire leaving his position and rushing toward second. He does this to be in position to make a decision should the second base umpire rule the ball was not caught, but trapped, and the batter attempts to continue on to second. The second base umpire cannot get back to the infield in time to be in proper position to make the call.

For the most part, umpires need take care of only their own assignments. Decisions within their jurisdiction cannot be over-ruled by another umpire unless they themselves ask assistance or are willing to allow a protesting player or manager to request an appeal.

Umpires must be constantly alert, not only to get in proper position to make a decision, but also to keep out of the way of the action. Take a foul fly lifted behind the catcher. At first, the catcher seldom knows where the ball is. He may start in either direction. The plate umpire cannot take it for granted the catcher will start in the proper direction. So when a foul fly is hit behind him, the plate umpire should back up slightly and give the catcher room to move either way. By so maneuvering, he prevents a collision and possible injury.

So, at your next game,

• WATCH how first base umpire shifts on grounders to short.
• WATCH how second base ump rushes to outfield on short flies.
• WATCH how umps rotate assignments when necessary.
• WATCH to see how plate ump moves on foul fly.