Delaying play to run clock time off

[Agcy]

DD's team played in a tournament two weekends ago where something I hadn't seen done before happened. As the home team, DD's team was down one run, 2 outs, no runners, with the #10 hitter coming to the plate. They were coming up on time. The girls had only scored one run earlier that inning and the other team suddenly decides to switch pitchers. And took their time doing it. Taking all allowed warmup pitches (at a slow place). All of the pitches were change ups, nothing fast. DD's HC knows the clock is about to expire.

So, while the pitcher is warming up, he calls over the umpire. Asks if a specific action is an automatic out. Umpire says yes, so HC asks him to pay attention for it. HC asks the hitter to intentionally step out of the box and bunt the ball. She executes it, becomes the 3rd out, and we start a new inning. The timer starts beeping as she's walking to the dugout.

Next inning, the other team goes 3-up/3-down. DD's team scores a run to tie it up and the game goes into an extra inning. Where they end up holding the other team and scoring a walk off to win the game.

Did the opposing HC switch pitchers to kill time? Or to help throw off the hitter and get the out for the win? I can't confidently say it was a killing time strategy. But it sure felt that way based on the timing of the decision and the pace of swapping pitchers

One time I saw a very astute coach in a similar situation have his runner leave early so they could start a new inning. It worked out for his team in the end.

You sacrifice the base-runner and run a risk of giving up more runs, but you get a fresh set of outs.

You could also have the batter switch batters boxes when the pitcher is on the rubber. Automatic and immediate out and you don't run the risk of missing the ball.

 

[Lightning]

You could also have the batter switch batters boxes when the pitcher is on the rubber. Automatic and immediate out and you don't run the risk of missing the ball.

Is that an out in every rule set? Because we had that happen in a game and one parent insisted that the batter should be out and the umpire said he'd never heard of such rule.

 

[Agcy]

Is that an out in every rule set? Because we had that happen in a game and one parent insisted that the batter should be out and the umpire said he'd never heard of such rule.

I know it is in NFHS.

From USSSA:

Sec 10. A batter shall not disconcert the pitcher by stepping out of the box on one side of home plate to the box on the other side while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch. PENALTY: The ball becomes dead immediately. The batter is out.​

 

[S Spiff]

I side with those who believe delaying tactics are bad sportsmanship, but there is a fundamental hole in the rules that fastpitch associations or any local org implementing a time limit should address. It makes no sense for a timed game to have no effective clock management rules to prevent stalling when the ball is not in play.

I wouldn't delay things for a plastic trophy either, but that isn't really good enough. It doesn't make sense to devote the time, effort and resources that many do to softball when one side is allowed under the rules to manipulate the outcome by refusing to play. If all games were timed so that clock manipulation was always a possibility, it wouldn't be a very good sport. Wouldn't it be exciting to see the WCWS end with a beeper sounding behind home plate after one team spent five minutes tying shoes and meeting at the circle? As it stands now, timed games have the potential to be very poor examples of the sport because the rules don't make sense.

 

[Eric F]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again...As soon as you add a clock to the game, a coach who ignores the clock, and doesn't use it to their advantage when they can, is doing a disservice to their team. I don't like having a clock, but when it's part of the rules, you need to adapt to the rules.

 

[_MIA_]

I can honestly say that in the almost 5 years that DD has played TB I cannot think of one example where the other team was so blatant about stalling that it sticks out in my head. That said I don't tend to take W/L too seriously..bad ABs and errors from DD are a different story unfortunately

 

[canyonjoe]

I've seen some good stalling tactics. One team we played stalled the whole game (conferences, tie shoes, late to get on field) I think they did more because they only had 1 pitcher and wanted to play fewer innings. Others made defensive subs with 2 outs in an inning that were just not OK. One went so far as to change catchers during inning for now reason. I never stalled outside of game rules. I might take a pitch or not steal if I could make the 3rd out quicker but don't believe in that nonsense. However, in every situation where someone stalled we were losing the game. Maybe we had a chance to come back but we shouldn't have fallen behind in the first place. As long as it's not drop dead as long as you have the same number of at bats you can't say you lost because of the stalling.

 

[Agcy]

Even in games that are timed, some coaches abuse the situation. In 6th grade rec league basketball with 20 min halves, one team we played against went into stall mode while up by 6 with 8 minutes left to play.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I side with those who believe delaying tactics are bad sportsmanship, but there is a fundamental hole in the rules that fastpitch associations or any local org implementing a time limit should address. It makes no sense for a timed game to have no effective clock management rules to prevent stalling when the ball is not in play.

I wouldn't delay things for a plastic trophy either, but that isn't really good enough. It doesn't make sense to devote the time, effort and resources that many do to softball when one side is allowed under the rules to manipulate the outcome by refusing to play. If all games were timed so that clock manipulation was always a possibility, it wouldn't be a very good sport. Wouldn't it be exciting to see the WCWS end with a beeper sounding behind home plate after one team spent five minutes tying shoes and meeting at the circle? As it stands now, timed games have the potential to be very poor examples of the sport because the rules don't make sense.

What rules do you think are needed to "prevent stalling"?

Clock manipulation is always a part of any timed game. It's just that nobody pays attention until they feel they can blame the clock for their loss. "We want to control the ball." "We want to keep their defense on the field and wear them out." "We want to win the possession count." Clock manipulation or strategy?

Last weekend we started the 7th inning of a game with 3 minutes left and the visitors up 3-2. The home team fans start screaming and yelling about every little thing the visitors are doing "to waste time". Finally the coach comes up to the fence and says, "Guys, shut up. We get to bat. It doesn't matter."

 

[S Spiff]

What rules do you think are needed to "prevent stalling"?

Stalling isn't a style of play or a particular play that is part of competition. Stalling is avoiding playing the game. All the talk in softball about "managing the clock" is a bit ridiculous. These coaches aren't managing anything, they are just finding ways to not play softball. Compare it to football where refusing to start a play after a certain time draws a penalty. In basketball, there is a limited time to inbound the ball. If you fail to play the game, you are penalized. You aren't allowed to not play the game. The tactics being discussed in this thread aren't akin to a football team that has developed a strong running game to eat the clock. In softball, tying shoes or meeting at the mound to discuss nothing is our present equivalent of clock management. Our game should be better than that.

Having said that, I don't think any kind of play clock is practical. I'd have a shorter time limit and mandate that one full inning should be played after the expiration of the shorter time limit. You'd still have significant control of the overall time of the game and the incentive to stall would be almost eliminated since the other team got at least one more at bat after the clock ceased to matter. For example, if you want the games to be an hour and fifteen minutes, then the time limit is an hour and you play one inning after expiration of the time limit. I know some games might go unexpectedly long if an inning goes crazy, but you have that possibility now unless you are playing drop dead.