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Illegal Pitch or Not

Rule question? Get it answered here.

by msbdg1401 » Mon May 30, 2016 6:45 pm

Played against a team, where the pitcher would wipe her hand in the dirt and then pitch. Is this illegal. Also, from time to time, she would pick up a handfull of dirt and rub it all over the ball before she pitched.. Is this illegal.
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by Comp » Tue May 31, 2016 4:31 am

Spazsdad wrote:Yes, have to wipe off hand, or at least appear to.


Not true except for NCAA. Dirt in itself is not a foreign substance and there is no requirement to wipe the hand after touching dirt, or even the rosin bag for that matter. But, it is illegal to apply dirt directly to the ball, or put dirt in the glove and then place the ball into the glove. This is considered defacing the ball and is illegal.
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by PairOfAces » Tue May 31, 2016 7:17 am

Spazsdad wrote:But yet I have seen it called on more than one occasion. Just goes to show you can't trust those darn umpires :lol:



This ^^^^^
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by Comp » Tue May 31, 2016 7:40 am

If its being called then coaches really need to learn the word "protest". There are rules clarifications issued by both ASA and NFHS stating it is not necessary to wipe the hand after touching dirt or the rosin bag. The only thing mentioned in the rule book about wiping the hand is when the pitcher goes to the mouth.
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by msbdg1401 » Tue May 31, 2016 10:25 am

Thanks. I thought it was illegal. This occurred in this past weekends TCS tournament. When the girl needed the extra spin on the ball is when she would do one or the other, or even both.
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by Dugout Dad » Tue May 31, 2016 10:44 am

msbdg1401 wrote: When the girl needed the extra spin on the ball is when she would do one or the other, or even both.

I guess she was tipping her pitches
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by Comp » Tue May 31, 2016 11:38 am

Spazsdad wrote:
Comp wrote:If its being called then coaches really need to learn the word "protest". There are rules clarifications issued by both ASA and NFHS stating it is not necessary to wipe the hand after touching dirt or the rosin bag. The only thing mentioned in the rule book about wiping the hand is when the pitcher goes to the mouth.

Pick your battles. Personally I don't think it is a big enough issue to protest over it.


If they are calling it illegal with runners on base it becomes a big issue very quickly. I would at least take it to the tournament UIC and ask them to please inform their umpires to look up the rules clarifications and stop calling things that are not illegal.
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by Makina » Tue May 31, 2016 1:36 pm

What happens if the pitcher rubs the ball into the ground? Should this be called an illegal pitch. I have received different opinions on this one.
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by Comp » Tue May 31, 2016 1:40 pm

Makina wrote:What happens if the pitcher rubs the ball into the ground? Should this be called an illegal pitch. I have received different opinions on this one.


Yes, it is an illegal pitch immediately just as it would be if the pitcher picked up a handful of dirt and rubbed it on the ball. The umpire should remove the ball from play and replace it and the pitcher should also be warned any further defacing of the ball would be an ejection.
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by GIMNEPIWO » Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:39 am

Comp wrote:If its being called then coaches really need to learn the word "protest". There are rules clarifications issued by both ASA and NFHS stating it is not necessary to wipe the hand after touching dirt or the rosin bag. The only thing mentioned in the rule book about wiping the hand is when the pitcher goes to the mouth.


Knowing the word 'protest' and the word having any meaning or carrying any weight are two different things :

Had a NFHS game last year ( in VA ) where the Umpires were extremely confused about unreported substitutes and the penalty, essentially allowing free defensive substitutions ... After repeatedly pointing this out, even so much as showing them the rule book; I protested the game .... Came to find out that the only protest that VHSL ( Virginia High School League ) will hear is about player eligibility ... And yes, I then argued that they should hear the protest because ineligible players and coaches were allowed to continue participating in the game after they should have been restricted to the dugout ... Nada
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