In a recent SSUSA tournament there was a pump fake situation. I'll first ask this. Is a pump fake in SSUSA an automatic dead ball or illegal pitch and a ball awarded to the batter?

Here is what happened. Batter has a 2/1 count. Pitcher pumps forward and stops, then back to his pitching motion. Batter walks out of box before pitcher can pitch. Pump fake was called. The pitchers team argues a little bit then batter goes back into the batters box. Batter ends up walking. Batter reaches first and two other runners advance. A pinch runner is put on first and second base. Pitcher ready to pitch. Then the team stops play and asks the umps to talk to each other about the ball awarded for the pump fake. Umps talk and say the pitcher did it on accident and it was not intentional. They take the ball called for the pump fake away..... they send the batter back to hit and remove pinch runner. I can see if they did this immediately before a pitch was thrown after the ball called for a pump fake but how can a protest be done after another pitch was thrown?

Not seeing this I’m only going by how this is described:
If I was umpiring and a pump fake happened as you described it, I’d have jumped out right after the pump fake and blurted out “dead ball, illegal motion”. Automatic ball on the batter. Pitchers forward motion must be continuous before releasing the ball.
Sounds like in this situation the home plate umpire was right the first time.
It’s ok for umpires to get together (I encourage my umpires to do that when they get asked for help in a 2-man) and talk about a play. The goal is to get it right.
After calling a pump fake and being asked about it Im not sure how the umps came up with that being accidental or unintentional. What does that even mean?
Perhaps BJ or Nancy can weigh in on this.

marcster- Appeals / protests need to occur before the next legal or illegal pitch. Once the batter walked (or was walked) the defensive team can't go back and appeal the handling of the original pump fake. That ship had already sailed.


As to the actual rule:
Rule 6.6 covers pump fakes and similar infractions that constitute illegal pitches. The ball remains live.

Rule 6.11 (1) covers the penalty for illegal pitches.
While verbalizing "illegal" the umpire should also extend his left arm parallel to the ground, letting the batter and players know.

An illegal pitch is declared a ball unless the batter opts to swing at it. If the batter swings, the result of the play stands.

stick8, never heard of an unintentional fake pump and shaking my head a little. It sounds like without seeing it that the umpire got it right and then let another umpire talk him out of it but at an inappropriate time. That definitely makes both of them look bad.

That’s true Nancy. Especially considering the defensive team asked the home plate ump for help well after the next pitch was delivered.

stick8, exactly. That ship had long sailed.

Can I add this twist to this discussion? What if the picture delivers the ball with his gloved arm across his chest and his pitching motion arm delivers the ball after striking his left arm. Just to make sure I'm describing this correctly imagine the pictures left arm straight across his chest. He separates his pitching arm from the glove brings it back and comes forward and his forearms basically meet and after they do he releases the ball. Almost like his pitching arm slams into his gloved hand forearm and releases the ball. Is that legal? Technically the ball is not released in a forward motion it is released when the motion stops

TAKO88, if the arm wasn't moving forward then the ball wouldn't go forward

I think you know what I mean Jimmy G. If a car is traveling and smacks a brick wall and stops and the occupants fly out of the windshield the car was no longer moving forward was it? No the momentum carried the occupants out of the windshield. The rule clearly states that the ball must be released in a forward motion. This was an odd motion where the pitching arm smacks into the gloved arm and stops moving forward but the ball is released.

I'd have to see it,, but it sounds like a deceptive motion to me. Illegal pitch.

Tim,
Email me and I will send you the link of the game.

justice3484@comcast.net