In MLB, why do the umps throw out of play any pitched ball that makes any contact whatsoever with the dirt, yet play continues with baseballs that have been hit?
Those hit balls have not only hit dirt as much or more as the pitched balls, they’ve also been mashed (and potentially misshapen) by bats, went through grass, etc.
A lot of times, the ball will even be left on the mound for use in the next half-inning.
Which makes the fact that a pitched ball that barely scuffs the dirt get thrown out immediately all the more strange.
The umpires will throw out any ball if they think the cover is cut in any way.
From my experience of watching games, most baseballs don’t last more than 6 pitches. I forget what the average lifespan of a baseball is in terms of game use, but it’s pretty short.
I’ve never noticed umps automatically throwing out any pitched ball in the dirt. It may just be more noticeable when the ump throws out a ball because the camera is on the action at home plate when it happens and so you may see more getting thrwon out.
Often, the coaches on the baselines and outfielders toss the fouls and caught flies into the stands and the camera may not pick it up.
I don’t think it’s “automatic.” If you watch closely, I believe you’ll see that the catcher hands the ball to the umpire and basically requests it be swapped out. As I understand it, it is to the pitcher’s disadvantage to throw a ball that carries any smudge of dirt on it, as it makes it much easier for the batter to pick up the spin of the ball as it travels towards him.
I have, in fact, seen the catcher turn the ball over to an ump who, apparently unconvinced, handed it right back to him.
As for balls that have been hit, they are now bruised and will be harder to hit well again, in theory. Such balls are very much to the pitcher’s advantage to keep in play as long as possible. Don’t forget that during the dead ball era, it was not all that uncommon for a ball to last the entire game.
I went and watched the 9th inning of the Braves-Padres game to see what the umpires would do. Unfortunately for our purposes, John Smoltz struck out the side, so what happened to the ball after it was hit cannot be determined.
The type of dirt used in the infield influences whether or not the ball will get thrown out. Some places have very hard infields and any ball that hits it gets cut.
KneadToKnow, the condition of the ball can work either for or against the pitcher. If the ball just has a smudge on it, then you’re right that it could give the batter an advantage. But if the ball is dented, cut, or loosened, the pitcher can use the imperfections to make the ball do very interesting things. That’s why pitchers have occasionally been caught with nail files and other means of mucking about with the surface of the ball.
That’s what Rawlings says, too – about 6 pitches per ball. Figuring 285 pitches per game (I saw that number somewhere), 2,430 games per year, that’s 692,550 pitches, which means 115,425 games balls a year. Rawlings supplies 700,000 balls in a year to MLB, but that includes balls not used in games as well.
The balls already have smudge and dirt on them. Before every game, the umps rub Deleware river mud on them to take the shine and glare off of them.
I think it’s a case of the umps requesting to see the ball and the catcher gives it to him. The viewer doesn’t realize it because they are wearing masks and we can’t see them talk. Catchers have been known to rub the ball against their shin guard trying to knick it.
Another thing is, the dirt around home plate can be different from the rest of the field for absortion purposes, so if a foul ball is hit into it, it may scuff more easily than in the regular infield.
Another factor is the bats leave marks on the ball so they are gone usually once hit.
The slightest scuff and the ball goes back in the bag for batting practice tomorrow.
It wasn’t until after the Depression that it became SOP for everybody to keep foul balls hit into the stands. It used to be someone would go chase the ball down and get it back for the game.
In Japan, many parks still don’t let you keep the foul balls, but you are given a souvenir in exchange for the ball. People in Japan usually don’t fight over foul balls. They just pick them up when they roll to them.
Without a doubt! But I was only referring to the possibilities which lie within the rules. See dropped name below to realize that I am aware of what possibilities lie outside them.
I don’t know if that’s a response to my earlier reply or not, but if so, note that the rubbing down done by the umpire leaves the ball a uniform color. What I was referring to earlier would be something along the lines of a discolored spot on the surface of the ball which would have the effect of highlighting for the batter any spin imparted to the ball. Anyway, that’s what Don Sutton says, and that “H.O.F.” after his name carries a lot of weight with me.
I agree that the umpire probably requests to see a ball in the dirt. Or, it’s become so automatic, the catcher simply offers it to him after such a pitch.
But please, people. Watch. I’m telling you, at least three times out of four, the ump will examine the baseball and then take it out of play and give the pitcher another.
I’ve noticed this for awhile, before I posed the question here.
Also note that when I say “hit balls,” I don’t necessarily mean base hits. Think about this scenario: batter smokes a hard grounder to third; third baseman throws it to the first baseman, who scoops it out of the dirt for the out.
What happens next? The ball is thrown around the infield, and given back to the pitcher to continue to pitch.
My bottom-line point, I guess, would be that if this scenario happens constantly, and it does, perhaps they are overreacting a bit with their zeal to remove pitched balls that scuff the dirt of the batters box.
But soon enough, that same ball that has been the subject of several groundouts is going to be fouled off into the stands or just fouled off period. Very rarely will a pitcher get to keep a ball for more than 6 pitches. Unless you are pitching like Danny Almonte of the Bronx Little League, you aren’t going to keep mowing down batters with the same ball. And even some of the hitters hit foul balls off of him which take a ball out of play.
And batters can ask the umpires to check the ball also. Although pitchers hate this.
I have no explanation for the difference in behavior, if it exists. I’ve never noticed it before, though. I’ve got two games I’m going to this weekend and I will keep an eye on their behavior.
That way you’ll at least have a second person supporting that the phenomenon exists.
