- May 29, 2015
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This should NEVER happen. A strike call on a swing (not a checked swing by the way, since it WASN'T checked, it was swung) is not appealable.
Depending on how any particular umpire works, if there is a checked swing on a potential third strike, if the plate umpire rules it 'no swing' he should IMMEDIATELY and AUTOMATICALLY go for help without the appeal, this eliminates any advantage that might be accrued to either team. Also, the batter can always begin to advance and can always come back if it ends up the pitch was a ball/no swing.
While I recognize what you are trying to accomplish, I disagree about immediate and automatic. It should never be immediate and automatic.
Are they teaching that in a clinic or camp? (And if so, who?)
It should only be done when asked, and not even all the time in those cases.
If an umpire changes a call, umpires have full authority to place runners where they would have ended up in the umpire's judgment. If a call gets changed to strike three, sorry, it was changed and I'm not putting the batter on base on some wing-and-a-prayer that he would have beat out the U3K. Now, if the runner takes off running and the catcher bombs it into rightfield, we know where they would have ended up. Probably not a great idea to appeal on that then. Play, ask, accept.