Other WSL - Extra innings called a draw without a single play being made

[Sailorjoe6308]

My local leagues are back to WSL. Thursday night in our final game of the night. The score was tied after game clock had expired. Umpire spoke to my team manager and asked how we wanted to proceed with extra innings. She, our manager, looked at him puzzled asked what he meant. He said it is home team's discretion if we play straight up, no runner on second, or have the last out from the previous inning on second. Our manager said put the last out on second. The umpire went to the visiting team to notify them to do this. Their manager said no we'll play straight up, no runner on second. Umpire then declares we will proceed straight up. Umpire then explained the decision to both managers and the pitcher from my team, home team, and we took the field to proceed to play. A player from the visiting team didn't agree with him and made his opinion known very crudely. After giving the visiting team's player some latitude to voice himself the Umpire called the game a tie and proceeded to gather his belongings and walk off the field. I understand why he did this as a way to diffuse the situation and let cooler heads prevail. My questions, aside from was this the right call in reference to calling the game a draw, are:

1) Have of any of you ever heard of this being determination of how to proceed being up to one particular team?

2) Should the Umpire or yourself as the Umpire have ejected the visiting team's player and proceeded with the game?

3) Would the call to declare the game a forfeit for one or both teams rather than a draw been applicable?

People on both teams were giving him a hard time the whole game, myself included, about how he was calling the game. I kept it civil and asked for clarification on pitch height at the start of the game. Pitch height is something that in our leagues, sadly, currently fluctuates between umpires. We have one that says it's 6ft to 12ft and 2 that say it's 5ft to 10ft. His ball and strike calls were consistent for both pitchers all game long so nothing to complain about. Just wanted clarification before I started pitching and him calling a pitch illegal.

 

[eddieq]

I don't call WSL and didn't look anything up on WSL specific rules.

The "method of tie breaker" should be in the association/league/house rules. It shouldn't be left up to the teams on the field to decide at the last moment. The umpire telling you that it's home-team's discretion and then going with what the visiting team wanted is, at least, not good game management. I would check your house rules on tie breakers.

If I'm calling this game and I have a mouthy player as described, I'm telling the team's manager to get a grip on him or he's gone. Then following up with the eventual ejection. From there, you apply whatever shorthanded rule available. In straight up USA play (I know, this is WSL - see my opening sentence) - you cannot play shorthanded due to an ejection (you need to supply a substitute for the ejected player). If no subs are available and if you're shorthanded due to an ejection, it's over and forfeited. Leagues and tournaments can change this however they feel. And I don't know how WSL or your league deals with that situation.

Just ending the game and walking off is, again, poor game management and unprofessional in my opinion, but as an umpire I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of doubt. I wasn't there and can only go by what you're posting here and do not have his side.

Water under the bridge, etc. but you're recourse here is to run the situation up the chain to your league and umpire assignor.

 

[eddieq]

Went back and looked up WSL rules

A game that is TIED at the end of seven innings shall be continued, by playing additional innings until one team has scored more runs than the other at the end of a completed inning or the team second at bat scores more runs in their half of the uncompleted extra inning.

But also

A regulation game shall be declared if the score is TIED when the game is called after four or more completed innings, or if the team second at bat has equaled the score of the first team at bat, while batting during any uncompleted inning.

The effect portion

The umpire is empowered to call a game at any time because of rain, darkness, panic or for any other cause which puts the umpire, players or the patrons in peril.

The "effect" piece is for a "called game" and in your case it makes it a legal/official game. The "any other cause which puts the umpire, players, or the patrons in peril" (oxford comma mine) can be his excuse that he thought that the mouthy player would cause trouble, but unlikely.

I don't see anything about using "ITB" rules (the player due to bat last in the inning starts on second - note that's not "the last out" from the previous inning necessarily).

The only place I see anything about playing short-handed is in youth slowpitch. Otherwise, you have to start/end with a full team and the same number of players and you forfeit if you cannot.

Anyway, your local league may have adopted other tie breaker rules or not.

 

[Sailorjoe6308]

Went back and looked up WSL rules



But also



The effect portion


The "effect" piece is for a "called game" and in your case it makes it a legal/official game. The "any other cause which puts the umpire, players, or the patrons in peril" (oxford comma mine) can be his excuse that he thought that the mouthy player would cause trouble, but unlikely.

I don't see anything about using "ITB" rules (the player due to bat last in the inning starts on second - note that's not "the last out" from the previous inning necessarily).

The only place I see anything about playing short-handed is in youth slowpitch. Otherwise, you have to start/end with a full team and the same number of players and you forfeit if you cannot.

Anyway, your local league may have adopted other tie breaker rules or not.

I messaged our LD about the extra innings and he stated that the last OUT from the previous inning, not necessarily the last batter, begins the inning on second. Unless that player is leading off in which case they are granted a courtesy runner.

 

[eddieq]

I messaged our LD about the extra innings and he stated that the last OUT from the previous inning, not necessarily the last batter, begins the inning on second. Unless that player is leading off in which case they are granted a courtesy runner.

And that’s certainly the league’s choice to make it however they want. The way the ITB is supposed to be handled is that the batter who is scheduled to bat last that inning goes to second or more simply the batter that precedes the lead off batter in the lineup goes to second. B4 is up, put B3 on second and play. Often it is the last out of the previous inning. Sometimes it is not. Semantics in how the rules are written. But again, since WSL doesn’t have this, that is a league rule and they can write it however they want.

 

[Sailorjoe6308]

Thank you for your help Eddie. I appreciate it. I'm sure there could be other interpretations of my post and I welcome them. I really think the umpire in question called the game due to being at the end of his rope with the game and the behavior of the aforementioned visiting team's player as well as players on my team, home, as well. That's a decision I can understand. That's why I thought it may be applicable to call the game a double forfeit rather than a draw due to the behavior of the teams. We all know that no one is perfect. Everyone has a bad day whether they're umpiring or playing. I do think that the visiting team's player should have some sort of consequence as well as players from my team. The overall behavior of both teams was simply unacceptable.

 

[eddieq]

I do think that the visiting team's player should have some sort of consequence as well as players from my team. The overall behavior of both teams was simply unacceptable.

That right there is likely the cause of the "fine, we are done. Tie game" at the end of the night. Last game of the night, bunch of BS over a tie breaker, just be done. May have been unprofessional, but understandable.

 

[EAJuggalo]

To me the biggest issue is that we are still playing once the time limit runs out. My view is that it should have ended in a tie once the inning ended after the time limit with the score still tied. Two recommendations that would fix this. Let it end in a tie, or give the visiting team a half run so there is a winner. Once that timer runs out, the umpire is no longer getting paid. Would make me hesitant to work those leagues if I knew that. I'm all for playing extras if there is time on the clock, but once that runs out, we should be done.

 

[Sailorjoe6308]

We don't have a half run rule and with us being in week 4 officially this week it's too late for the LD to add it as a rule unilaterally.