Baseball Rules Corner: conflicting signals by different umpires can lead to confusion

Baseball Digest, August, 2003 by Rich Marazzi

DID YOU EVER SEE TWO UMPIRES make opposite calls on the same play? Did you ever see an umpire reverse his call on the same play? Whenever this happens you can color the men in blue red, but it's all a part of the game.

Different calls on the same play by two umpires created a bit of confusion at Edison International Field in Anaheim where the Angels hosted the Yankees last April 23.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Angels had Brad Fullmer on first base with one out and Scott Spiezio at the plate. Spiezio hit a Roger Clemens' offering down the first base line that was fielded by Yankees' first baseman Jason Giambi. First base umpire Ted Barrett signaled fair. Giambi stepped on the bag for the putout then threw to second where Fullmer was safe.

But all was for naught because plate umpire Tim McClelland called the play a foul ball.

Such a play is easily rectified since the plate ump has fair or foul responsibilities on batted balls before they reach first or third base. Neither team put up a fuss.

Conflicting signals by different umpires working a game, not only confuse the players, it is embarrassing for the umpires. When it does occur, there are areas of the rulebook to which umpires can refer.

To begin with, no protest shall ever be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire (4.19). Since opposite calls on the same play are a matter of individual judgment, even though it may place a team in jeopardy, chances are the victimized manager will not have any recourse. But then again, it all depends on who is holding the gavel.

In 1965, National League president Warren Giles told Baseball Digest that if a game were protested because an umpire had confused a base runner with a misleading signal, he would allow the protest.

The incident that prompted the opinion occurred at Houston on April 25 that season when the Astros hooked up with the Pirates. Here is what happened.

The Astros' Walter Bond hit a line drive off the right-center wall that was signaled as a home run by umpire Vinnie Smith. After seeing the umpire's signal, Bond slowed up as he went into his home run jog. But Smith had second thoughts and reversed his call when he decided the ball had hit below the yellow line marking the home run boundary.

The Pirates' defense fired the ball to third where Bond was surprisingly tagged out. The umpires reasoned the second signal by Smith was the correct signal, which put the ball in play and the decision on any play should rest on that. Bond was declared out. But since the Astros won the game, no protest was ever filed with Giles' office. If the Astros lost and manager Lum Harris protested the game, Giles would have upheld the protest.

In Giles' opinion to Baseball Digest, he stated, "My reasoning was that the home run signal influenced Bond's running and he was misled by the signal and should not be penalized. If the protest had been formally lodged and reached my office and no different facts presented, I feel sure I would have allowed it and resumed play with Bond on second base in place of being declared out at third."

To my knowledge no protest has ever been allowed because an umpire's misleading signal victimized a team. When this happens, umpires usually meet and are protected under rule 9.04(c) which reads, "If different decisions should be made on one play by different umpires, the umpire-in-chief shall call the umpires into consultation, with no manager or player present. After consultation, the umpire-in-chief shall determine which decision shall prevail based on which decision was most likely correct."

One of the most hilarious (but embarrassing) photos involved umpires John Kibler and Ed Vargo making opposite calls on the same play in a game between the Cardinals and Cubs on May 12, 1969.

The play, involved Bill Sudakis of the Cubs who tried to take second on a fly ball hit to short center as Cardinals' shortstop Steve Huntz and second baseman Julian Javier left second base unprotected while they chased the ball. St. Louis center fielder Curt Flood got the ball after it fell in for a hit and threw to third baseman Mike Shannon covering second.

One umpire followed the ball several feet from second toward the outfield while the other one came up to second base. Kibler and Vargo had different calls. After a discussion, Kibler's out prevailed.

The umps utilized 9.04(c) in Game 3 of the 1982 World Series played between the Cardinals and Brewers. George Hendrick of the Cardinals hit a shot down the third base line that appeared to be signaled "Fair" and "Foul" by third base umpire Jim Evans when he threw his arms up in the air to apparently indicate "Foul" and almost simultaneously pointed to fair territory as if to signal "Fair."

When first base ump Dave Phillips saw Evans' arms in the air, he did likewise which sent the message to Hendrick that the ball was foul. The Cards cried foul since they thought the ball was fair (which it was).

Phillips recalled, "Jimmy (Evans) threw his hands up in the air. When he did that, that indicated to me that it would be a foul ball. I threw my hands up at first base stopping play because that's the signal to stop play. Basically signals are made for one thing, for us to communicate not only with our partners and the players on the field but also to communicate with the fans and the people in the press box.