Yeah...thats 100% on purpose. I read up on this story and after the fact the "battery" had been complaining about the umpires strike zone so they thought they would send him a message. I can't remember what came from this but I think they had some sort of investigation thing and the players were suspended a couple of games. The umpire wasnt that hurt although after the game he said he had headaches. You think? But yes, this is so intentional.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I've had pitchers throw at me on purpose (they admitted it later) if they think I'm not giving them the full zone. But I want to point out how professional that crew handled it. Plate ump didn't flinch. His eyes followed the ball as it rolled off and never lost sight of it, even after getting hit. The 3rd base ump called time later and held time to give his partner a chance to unring his bell. Then checked on him to make sure he was good. Good teamwork.
Yeah, looks to me like the catcher got crossed up. Probably called fastball but got the breaking pitch. He was probably expecting high heat but tried to compensate last minute thinking it was gonna land in the dirt.
yall should really be real with yourselves. this is a championship game. which means those kids can play. even if it was a bad pitch the catcher to go up and get that. you learn that as a little kid. this was completely intentional. come on seriously he ducked up under a pitch that was already over his head
i think it was intentional because i was a catcher n we were playin a big game to go to state..umpire was makin crappy callsfor us but good for them..i did the same thing he did..then he all of a sudden called better..maybe the same here
This was intentional, there was a whole article about it. It wasn't just the catcher who lost his scholarship, the pitcher lost his too and the school got fined.
It was deemed intentional, this was a big news story somewhat right after it happened. The losing team had issues with the umpire earlier and this is how they decided to handle it, like pussies.
You know nothing about baseball then. With a runner on Second, they wouldnt do that on purpose. that almost garuntees them giving up a run. Not something good in baseball. they clearly got their signs mixed up. You need to comment on a sport you actually know somethign about.
The catcher made a bad attempt to make it look like he got crossed up. and for all the people who thought it was a curvball that didnt break, theres no way someone at that level could throw one that bad. and plus it had too much velocity to be a curveball
Who cares...umpire probably deserved it anyways. A lot worse has happened, such as umpires getting hit by bats in the back of the head on a missed swing.
Not sure what the latest on this story is. The kid pitching had a baseball scholarship lined up for college but after the college was made aware of this and saw the video they revoked the kids scholarship. Obviously it was intentional.
that's pretty funny. I wish they didn't get so offended by it on ESPN. Yeah its rude, but that's pretty funny that someone chose to do something that outrageous in such an important game. What a character
the pitch had quite a bit on it for it to just be a hanging curve ball, and the ball went exactly where the catcher placed the target. No way that wasn't intentional.
As a pitcher myself, i have to admit that me and my catcher conspired to do the exact same thing once, but we decided against it. It really does seem that it was intentional. Sometimes the ump needs a wake up call, and he didnt get hurt so no harm done. if he really want to hurt the ump they would have sat up low and let ump get hit in the foot or shin.
this is was so intentional it's not even funny. I'm a pitcher and believe me it's kind of hard for a pitcher and a catcher to get mixed up on signs and for the pitch to just "happen" to be at the umpire's face is a ludicrous suggestion. You can see the catcher set up high and begin to move his glove up towards the ball but then acts like an idiot and drops. Supposedly the pitcher has some anger problems according to the paper reporting on this story. This isn't his first incident like this...
ur right its not funny its SWEET! umpires deserve this all the time. its like a vision check for his usless ass. GET RID OF UMPS ALL THEY DO IS BLOW BIG CALLS
This wasnt intentional. The pitcher and catcher had their signs mixed up. The catcher thought it was a curveball thats why he went to block the ball b/c he thought it was going to be in the dirt.
seriously? how can you say that it isn't intentional? the catcher purposily leaned forward and the pitcher threw it high so that it would hit the ump. they hit it because they apperantly thought the ump made a terrible call the inning before. don't believe me? the catcher and pitcher both got scholarships removed from college baseball teams they were going to go play for.
It was intentional. The player got suspended from school and all sorts of crap. I live in Atlanta and read about it in the AJC. They admitted to it since apparently they thought he was shrinking the strike zone for them.
it was probably supposed to be a curve ball and the pitcher may have confused the signs... the catcher definatly dropped to block the ball but it just never broke
1. It did not hit the batter's helmet. The ball does not change trajectory, the batter does not react as if he was hit (moving to take first), and you can't hear it hit the helmet.
2. This was the Georgia State Championship game. You don't make it that far with a catcher who will curl into the fetal position every time he gets crossed on a pitch. The game was 13-1 at this point and the defensive team had just had their 9th straight batter strike out.
the ball definately did not hit the batter. the batter's helmet would have at least moved if the ball hit him. also, he would react to getting hit as well instead of telling the runner to move up. this could be a case of the pitcher crossing the catcher up but who really knows though. i'd have to see what happened for the previous innings.
You all are idiots if you think that was not on purpose! Who cares if its a different pitch thrown than what was called, what do you think catchers do when they thrown a curve and it does not break? They follow the ball, not where they think the ball is going to go. He was aiming for the umpire then entire way and just happened to hit the batter. If you say it was not intentional your an idiot and you have no clue about the game of baseball!
when i played catcher i was taught to NEVER let any pitch get by me. This catcher is in the championships and he hits the dirt with a runner on base? Hmmmm....
My take (after 17 years in baseball through div 1 college)...
It doesn't matter if it hit the batter first and then the umpire, I look for their intent. I don't eliminate the possibility that they were aiming for the ump's groin or some other place and the pitcher was just too high and inside. Like I said on the other post, just look at the video and cover everything except the catcher ... That view is pretty clear.
watch the hitter turn his head as if something struck it and watch the catcher drop because he knew that it would bounce down. he tried to block with his body
Watch the catcher ... his eyes and glove are right on the ball from the start. He knows where it's going. Then he drops his legs at the last second ... AND DUCKS. And no, it doesn't hit the batter. He ducked because the ball was that high. These are obviously 18 year-olds who've never been disappointed, and this is the result. Learn a lesson, parents.
I don't think so...the catcher was expecting a sinker....and wasn't thinking....so when the pitcher didn't throw the pitch correctly....that is what happened....the catcher was all set up thinking that the ball was gonna be low....i don't think it was intentional....
dude are you serious??? im a college catcher. you dont drop to your knees to block a ball because you're expecting a certain pitch, you drop when you realize that its gonna be in the dirt. thi was without a doubt intentional
You guys must really think this team is stupid! You think they would risk a 3rd base steal just to bean the ump? If they wanted to do that and get away with it, nobody would be on base!!!! Think people, think!!
well i just personaly think it wasnt too bad of a pitch. Every pitcher sometimes throws a kind of crazy ball. The catcher just didnt try to catch it at all. I think it was all the catcher.
Watch the video again. The ball hit the batter's helmet first. It would have missed the umpire completely, if not for that. The catcher reacted to the ball coming off the batter's helmet.
No, the pitch was so high, the batter naturally tucked his head. It didn't hit the helmet. That's just the angle. And you don't hear 2 clicks in the video.
That was totally BUSH LEAGUE!!!!!!!!! They should have at least did it with a breaking ball to make it more believable. An oh ya give the catcher some acting lessons....
that ball was totally catchable. he didn't even try. the catchers mitt was up in the area the ball was going to and he dropped it fast to hit the ump. how lame.
My dad looked more in on this and he said that the umpire had made a bad call before this and so they did it and that the high school got find for this
Maybe the catcher and pitcher got their signs confused and he was thinking slider or curve. Why would they hit the ump on purpose with a runner in scoring position
They were losing 12-1 in the state championship at this point. Clearly on purpose. Stephens County is a good team with their 3rd baseman going 15th overall in the MLB draft, but it is unfortunate for the catcher to go along with something like this, now that his scholarship has been pulled he probably wishes he hadn't. Anyways, I wasn't at the game but if they were upset over the umpire's strike zone you have to know that all strikezones aren't the same and in no way are a cause for losing 12-1.
i umpire, and if that happen to me, i would have had 3 automatic ejections. The pitcher, the catcher, and the coach for letting crap like that go on. Someone could get seriously hurt, an ump in the pros got hit in the mask yesterday, and is sitting in the hospital. This is unacceptable.
really the pitcher and the coach? I wouldn't think so and if you did it would be unjust without proof that they knowingly did it. All it takes is the catcher moving on his own, he tells the pitcher where and what to throw, the pitcher throws it. It doesn't mean he's in on it. The catcher you could, but the other two come on, that's over the top and you know it. It is wrong, but overly excessive to throw out the coach and the pitcher.
It wasn't intentional. It's very suttle but people that have played baseball can confirm that the catcher was expecting some sort of breaking ball and that is also why the pitch is coming at such a slow pace. It's what us ball players would call " a hanging Breaking ball" it never dropped it just hung.
this is tough to call. At first look he seems to do it on purpose, replaying it a few times though he went for the ball before he dropped his knees, so did he slip? It's kind of hard to tell from this camera shot, maybe is we had a closer one it would be better.
i play softball and even if i dint you could easily see that it was on purpose. if the catcher was smart he would have caught it. you cant play college ball when you make cheap shots like that.
Thank you, My friend: You have spoken very well. You could not have said this any better. Due to your comment, you have taken away the "reasonable doubt" from the picture. I agree, it was obvious, and with your skillful input, you have erased any ambiguity from such.
The catcher had an accademic scholarship to Gordon college. He was being accepted as a walk on to the baseball team. Academic scholarship stands, but no baseball for him. I would not say catcher is a low life. He made a stupid judgement call that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
I don't play but two things make it look intentional to me. 1) I could catch better than that, no one is that bad, he obviously is getting out of the way, he doesn't even watch the ball in. 2) He knows it hits the ump cos it hits him in the back right after but he never looks back out of concern, even for a split second, or to figure out what happened.
I have been umpiring high school and youth games for over 18 years. It has happened to me and countless other umpires. Don't they realize you could injure that man for life? Had it been me, I'm tossing pitcher, catcher and head coach. Why the head coach? He's responsible for the actions of his players on the field. Was it an intentional pitch at the umpire? You bet it was. That is a judgement call for the umpire to make. Make no mistake, that was "not" a mixup in signals.
except for the completely obvious actions of the catcher, you're correct. That's gotta be the worst "sell job" by a catcher I've ever seen. He'll get better at it as he gets more experience.
the school was fined $1000 and put on probation. The catcher was had a full ride to Gordon College.....they called and told him not to come.......exactly what he deserves.
Is there really a doubt in anyones mind that it was intentional? The third base coach immediatley goes to the third base ump and tells him that it was. I hope the pitcher and catcher lose everything they might have had going for them in baseball. The coach of the team should also be relieved of his duty indefinatly.
I agree with all. It was a deliberate throw at the umpire or possible the batter. From what I heard from people who were at the game, the pitcher for Stephens county hit two Canes players on purpose. Very lousy sportsmanship exhibited by a group of sore losers.
The half inning prior to this pitch the last Stephen's County batter to strike out really threw a fit. He's also the older brother of the pitcher who threw at the ump. Coincidence? Shame on the coaches and parents that tolerate this crap, and good luck to the boys on this team....if they can't cope with baseball, life is going to be hard for them.
i play baseball and i pitch in college....thats a bush league play on the part of stephens county...play the game right, your getting your ass wooped suck it up...the umpire didnt lose the game for ya
not buyin it... because whenever I was hit with a pitch I always started to take my base I never just stood there. Especially if he got hit in the head he would have started moving toward 1st.
I was a minor league catcher at one time, and for sure that was intentional. When else do you ever see a catcher make any type of catch like that????????
I can Tell by the Pitcher's stand point that he diid it on purpose. The catcher wouldn't have got up in the first place and the pitcher let the ball away too early. He also moved on the rubber
Looks completely intentional... I would have handled it differently... the manager should have been in the umps face all night long, getting himself thrown out of the game instead of the pitcher and catcher having to handle it in that manner.
Totally intentional and totally justified. I hear this ump had been making bogus calls all night. If you're going to be a biased official, then this is just an occupational hazard.
I don't know from the pitchers standpoint. There is no way to prove the pitcher had anything to do with it, but the catcher is obvious. It's the catcher who gets to talk with the umpire as well. SO he may have talked to the umpire, not like the strike zone, and did something stupid like this.
I played baseball for SCHS in 2003. This was obviously intentional and very disturbing. what a complete lack of CLASS. i hope they get the punishment they deserve. Parents and fans were rude, crybaby pricks as well.
catcher has gotten his scholarship pulled, school was fined $ 1,000 and placed on probation, brother of the pitcher will be drafted in the first round tomorrow....
This was definitely intentional. I was there, and I'd seen the players throw fits all game long over pitches, calls... they were throwing equipment and flipping off the umps (and the other fans), too.
i also forgot to mention in my comment below that the catcher(dont know) pitcher(cody martin) and his brother eathan had a little meeting on the mound right before this pitch was thrown
maybe the catcher got stung by some ants in his face mask? lol
jkcrusher18 2 years ago 169
The catcher didnt call a fastball. Not intentional
MrMeebs10 2 years ago
if it was intentional.. the kid has nice aim
FalconsVick72 2 years ago 258
A few times when I pitched I wanted to do that.
disturbedone5009 2 years ago 49
This move by the catcher cost him a scholarship to his college
2121tbomb2121 2 years ago
Good for them. Stand up to the Umpire. Eventhough it probably cost them more.
crazedcamel11 2 years ago
100% intentional
whitephoenix222 2 years ago 4
it's either a cheap shot or a retarded catcher, but I should've pulled this on few of our umpires in the past. XD
coltsfanca 2 years ago
It coulde be intentional. It might not be. But I have seen situations where catchers have done that after a mixed up signal.
jubilantjam 2 years ago
Yeah...thats 100% on purpose. I read up on this story and after the fact the "battery" had been complaining about the umpires strike zone so they thought they would send him a message. I can't remember what came from this but I think they had some sort of investigation thing and the players were suspended a couple of games. The umpire wasnt that hurt although after the game he said he had headaches. You think? But yes, this is so intentional.
ThirdTerm 2 years ago 4
i think it was intentional. i really cant think of any reason for the catcher to just duck like that.
ndar123 2 years ago 4
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I've had pitchers throw at me on purpose (they admitted it later) if they think I'm not giving them the full zone. But I want to point out how professional that crew handled it. Plate ump didn't flinch. His eyes followed the ball as it rolled off and never lost sight of it, even after getting hit. The 3rd base ump called time later and held time to give his partner a chance to unring his bell. Then checked on him to make sure he was good. Good teamwork.
allintheserve 2 years ago 3
it wasnt intentional... one signs were mixed up... and two you wouldnt do that with runners on base
stgbaseball3 2 years ago
If you're getting your ass kicked and are selfish, sore loser, punk kids you would.
prkbrooks10 2 years ago
Yeah, looks to me like the catcher got crossed up. Probably called fastball but got the breaking pitch. He was probably expecting high heat but tried to compensate last minute thinking it was gonna land in the dirt.
poshko41 2 years ago
the ref bent down at the same time the ball left his hand u cant aim like that it just meens the catcher was afraid of the ball
moflclmo 2 years ago
yall should really be real with yourselves. this is a championship game. which means those kids can play. even if it was a bad pitch the catcher to go up and get that. you learn that as a little kid. this was completely intentional. come on seriously he ducked up under a pitch that was already over his head
tjtida 3 years ago
If it was intentional it was a really, really stupid time to do it (with a man on base who could then advance to third).
If it wasn't intentional then I hope these kids enjoyed college ball because that'll be about it.
CaptainCampion 3 years ago
i think it was intentional because i was a catcher n we were playin a big game to go to state..umpire was makin crappy callsfor us but good for them..i did the same thing he did..then he all of a sudden called better..maybe the same here
kmsbullet08 3 years ago
This was intentional, there was a whole article about it. It wasn't just the catcher who lost his scholarship, the pitcher lost his too and the school got fined.
SMkaze 3 years ago
It was deemed intentional, this was a big news story somewhat right after it happened. The losing team had issues with the umpire earlier and this is how they decided to handle it, like pussies.
ptcorey3187 3 years ago
wasnt this in SI Sign of The Apocalypse?
gough1992 3 years ago
Intentional !!
elpicture 3 years ago
if you really believe that this wasn't 100% intentional, then i've got some stock in enron i'd like to sell you.
ramstacp 3 years ago
You know nothing about baseball then. With a runner on Second, they wouldnt do that on purpose. that almost garuntees them giving up a run. Not something good in baseball. they clearly got their signs mixed up. You need to comment on a sport you actually know somethign about.
wegotmorrison 2 years ago
omg thats funny
wlbaseball35 3 years ago
na look at the pitchers reaction he was shocked.
ppfrc91 3 years ago
The catcher made a bad attempt to make it look like he got crossed up. and for all the people who thought it was a curvball that didnt break, theres no way someone at that level could throw one that bad. and plus it had too much velocity to be a curveball
petermyeva 3 years ago
exactly, if that pitchers curveball dropped that much he would be in the pros
even at that pros curveballs dont even break that much
intentional!
rmcubssuck35 2 years ago
I agree more
zoogh21 2 years ago 11
you are an idiot
snoochie4 2 years ago 62
it didn't looked planned it looked like the catcher hesitated when he was gonna catch it nut i don't know
PEskater101 3 years ago
the catcher lost a scholarship because of this
bradley2eady3 3 years ago
Who cares...umpire probably deserved it anyways. A lot worse has happened, such as umpires getting hit by bats in the back of the head on a missed swing.
jmb819 3 years ago
cheap shot
McLovin2169 3 years ago
why he duck?
destroyerzzzzzzzzzzz 3 years ago
glorious
jaypeddie 3 years ago
this is baseball the pitcher throws the ball in the direction of the ump. theres nothing in the rules that says u cant throw at the ump
KingBarlow 3 years ago
"Intentional!"
bcn1211 3 years ago
Not sure what the latest on this story is. The kid pitching had a baseball scholarship lined up for college but after the college was made aware of this and saw the video they revoked the kids scholarship. Obviously it was intentional.
atinyblackcat 3 years ago
Totally intentional
bitterrootbasque 3 years ago
the catcher shoulda at least have stuck his glove up to make it look like an attempt to catch it
6xxxxxxxx9 3 years ago
Luckily the pitcher cannot throw hard enough to hurt my grandmother, never mind a grown man.
perogi21 3 years ago
that was completely intentional. i dont understand why the kid would do it with a guy on base. he cant wait til the 1st batter of the next inning?
cbuck16ab 3 years ago
110% intentional, look what the catcher does on a pitch up and out!!!
raabezie 3 years ago
that's pretty funny. I wish they didn't get so offended by it on ESPN. Yeah its rude, but that's pretty funny that someone chose to do something that outrageous in such an important game. What a character
diehl034 3 years ago
I doubt it was intentional since it was a championship game.
egkg75 3 years ago
the pitch had quite a bit on it for it to just be a hanging curve ball, and the ball went exactly where the catcher placed the target. No way that wasn't intentional.
nichogue 3 years ago
ok it depends on the pitchers reaction which isnt shown
beatdown15twopro 3 years ago
heh, i guess they were getting beat so bad theyd figure they could do whatever they wanted
vandalsmx 3 years ago
wow.. if i were that umpire.. i would've thrown both the pitcher and catcher out the game...... completely intentional
ratchet5794 3 years ago
if was intentional was it worth putting a guy in scoring position
mmdur 3 years ago
right in the face
Callofdoodoo 3 years ago
As a pitcher myself, i have to admit that me and my catcher conspired to do the exact same thing once, but we decided against it. It really does seem that it was intentional. Sometimes the ump needs a wake up call, and he didnt get hurt so no harm done. if he really want to hurt the ump they would have sat up low and let ump get hit in the foot or shin.
ReverendRizz 3 years ago
lol i looks like it could be on purpose. It would be defanintly intentional if they talked before that pitch or gave a wierd sign.
bshaffer2 3 years ago
oooohhhhhhhh i dont know bout that
canadien777 3 years ago
I was at this game. 1,000,000% Intentional
Drogan44 3 years ago
the umpire was the father of one of the players on the batting team
zreiscool 3 years ago
The pitcher and catcher had files charged against them, and they were kicked off the team. I heard about that on the news.
KhrisBaz 3 years ago
this is was so intentional it's not even funny. I'm a pitcher and believe me it's kind of hard for a pitcher and a catcher to get mixed up on signs and for the pitch to just "happen" to be at the umpire's face is a ludicrous suggestion. You can see the catcher set up high and begin to move his glove up towards the ball but then acts like an idiot and drops. Supposedly the pitcher has some anger problems according to the paper reporting on this story. This isn't his first incident like this...
POKERGOD12 3 years ago
uhhh, ive seen mlb players miss up signals....
PivotOwnageAW 3 years ago
ur right its not funny its SWEET! umpires deserve this all the time. its like a vision check for his usless ass. GET RID OF UMPS ALL THEY DO IS BLOW BIG CALLS
KingBarlow 3 years ago
This wasnt intentional. The pitcher and catcher had their signs mixed up. The catcher thought it was a curveball thats why he went to block the ball b/c he thought it was going to be in the dirt.
trbec 3 years ago
seriously? how can you say that it isn't intentional? the catcher purposily leaned forward and the pitcher threw it high so that it would hit the ump. they hit it because they apperantly thought the ump made a terrible call the inning before. don't believe me? the catcher and pitcher both got scholarships removed from college baseball teams they were going to go play for.
wakeboardMN10 3 years ago
It was intentional. The player got suspended from school and all sorts of crap. I live in Atlanta and read about it in the AJC. They admitted to it since apparently they thought he was shrinking the strike zone for them.
epmatty3 3 years ago
100 % intentional
k11815 3 years ago
it was a curve ball that did not break
dallascowboysrule222 3 years ago
wasnt a curve ball if it was the catcher wouldent be aiming that high
chowfon166 3 years ago
it was probably supposed to be a curve ball and the pitcher may have confused the signs... the catcher definatly dropped to block the ball but it just never broke
kshay003 3 years ago
if you watch the batter he waves the runner to third after the pitch, which means the ball didn't hit him bc if it did it would have been a dead ball
drbo33 3 years ago
no techially not it can hit an umpire an the runner can advance the ball is still alive ine lse the ball is stuck in mask.
critter2 3 years ago
Several things...
1. It did not hit the batter's helmet. The ball does not change trajectory, the batter does not react as if he was hit (moving to take first), and you can't hear it hit the helmet.
2. This was the Georgia State Championship game. You don't make it that far with a catcher who will curl into the fetal position every time he gets crossed on a pitch. The game was 13-1 at this point and the defensive team had just had their 9th straight batter strike out.
Intentional.
threeifbyair 3 years ago
the ball definately did not hit the batter. the batter's helmet would have at least moved if the ball hit him. also, he would react to getting hit as well instead of telling the runner to move up. this could be a case of the pitcher crossing the catcher up but who really knows though. i'd have to see what happened for the previous innings.
bhaus15 3 years ago
It didn't hit the batter. The ball doesn't even change direction. The batter doesn't start for first and the runner doesn't get sent back to second.
eric841 3 years ago
It did not hit the batter and was obviously intentional.
Zabbai 3 years ago
You all are idiots if you think that was not on purpose! Who cares if its a different pitch thrown than what was called, what do you think catchers do when they thrown a curve and it does not break? They follow the ball, not where they think the ball is going to go. He was aiming for the umpire then entire way and just happened to hit the batter. If you say it was not intentional your an idiot and you have no clue about the game of baseball!
kirbom23 3 years ago
when i played catcher i was taught to NEVER let any pitch get by me. This catcher is in the championships and he hits the dirt with a runner on base? Hmmmm....
out99990 3 years ago
My take (after 17 years in baseball through div 1 college)...
It doesn't matter if it hit the batter first and then the umpire, I look for their intent. I don't eliminate the possibility that they were aiming for the ump's groin or some other place and the pitcher was just too high and inside. Like I said on the other post, just look at the video and cover everything except the catcher ... That view is pretty clear.
araydallas 3 years ago
watch the hitter turn his head as if something struck it and watch the catcher drop because he knew that it would bounce down. he tried to block with his body
catman33398 3 years ago
is everyone blind? it clearly hits the batters helmet first, you can clearly see the ball change direction before it hits the ump..give me a break
uglyderf 3 years ago
no the catcher thought he cought the ball and he went down because you can see he closed his glove and when he went down the umpire's head was there
AGRAlax 3 years ago
Watch the catcher ... his eyes and glove are right on the ball from the start. He knows where it's going. Then he drops his legs at the last second ... AND DUCKS. And no, it doesn't hit the batter. He ducked because the ball was that high. These are obviously 18 year-olds who've never been disappointed, and this is the result. Learn a lesson, parents.
boilerbowl1 3 years ago
watch it closely it hit the batters helmet. it was still a pretty good shot. hehe
Skjervheim123 3 years ago
Does anyone notice that the ball hits the player in the heead prior to hitting the umpire????
swidd08 3 years ago
I don't think so...the catcher was expecting a sinker....and wasn't thinking....so when the pitcher didn't throw the pitch correctly....that is what happened....the catcher was all set up thinking that the ball was gonna be low....i don't think it was intentional....
rmp0518 3 years ago
dude are you serious??? im a college catcher. you dont drop to your knees to block a ball because you're expecting a certain pitch, you drop when you realize that its gonna be in the dirt. thi was without a doubt intentional
jordanchukar13 3 years ago
so you are saying he expected a sinker at the guys head to drop all the way down to the dirt hahahahaha idiot
cfl990 3 years ago
You guys must really think this team is stupid! You think they would risk a 3rd base steal just to bean the ump? If they wanted to do that and get away with it, nobody would be on base!!!! Think people, think!!
greatwhite78 3 years ago
At this point, it was 8-1 or something. They didn't care about somebody on third. This was intentional and stupid
waffleboy7 3 years ago
well i just personaly think it wasnt too bad of a pitch. Every pitcher sometimes throws a kind of crazy ball. The catcher just didnt try to catch it at all. I think it was all the catcher.
Goodcharlotterocks13 3 years ago
Watch the video again. The ball hit the batter's helmet first. It would have missed the umpire completely, if not for that. The catcher reacted to the ball coming off the batter's helmet.
They are getting a bad rap...not guilty.
dbcga 3 years ago
No, the pitch was so high, the batter naturally tucked his head. It didn't hit the helmet. That's just the angle. And you don't hear 2 clicks in the video.
boilerbowl1 3 years ago
That was totally BUSH LEAGUE!!!!!!!!! They should have at least did it with a breaking ball to make it more believable. An oh ya give the catcher some acting lessons....
7bubba9 3 years ago
the catcher actually had a college scholarship and the college revoked it after this happened
gamion77 3 years ago
that ball was totally catchable. he didn't even try. the catchers mitt was up in the area the ball was going to and he dropped it fast to hit the ump. how lame.
jdbnntt 3 years ago
My dad looked more in on this and he said that the umpire had made a bad call before this and so they did it and that the high school got find for this
MRW04 3 years ago
Maybe the catcher and pitcher got their signs confused and he was thinking slider or curve. Why would they hit the ump on purpose with a runner in scoring position
Iamamazing0088 3 years ago
They were losing 12-1 in the state championship at this point. Clearly on purpose. Stephens County is a good team with their 3rd baseman going 15th overall in the MLB draft, but it is unfortunate for the catcher to go along with something like this, now that his scholarship has been pulled he probably wishes he hadn't. Anyways, I wasn't at the game but if they were upset over the umpire's strike zone you have to know that all strikezones aren't the same and in no way are a cause for losing 12-1.
bigdipper17 3 years ago
i umpire, and if that happen to me, i would have had 3 automatic ejections. The pitcher, the catcher, and the coach for letting crap like that go on. Someone could get seriously hurt, an ump in the pros got hit in the mask yesterday, and is sitting in the hospital. This is unacceptable.
mfs914 3 years ago
really the pitcher and the coach? I wouldn't think so and if you did it would be unjust without proof that they knowingly did it. All it takes is the catcher moving on his own, he tells the pitcher where and what to throw, the pitcher throws it. It doesn't mean he's in on it. The catcher you could, but the other two come on, that's over the top and you know it. It is wrong, but overly excessive to throw out the coach and the pitcher.
djanderson18 3 years ago
Right there with you. It's very clear that was intentional.
People think that mask is a safe-guard against everything and I assure them it's not. It doesn't feel good even with that mask on.
bagpiper2005 3 years ago
It wasn't intentional. It's very suttle but people that have played baseball can confirm that the catcher was expecting some sort of breaking ball and that is also why the pitch is coming at such a slow pace. It's what us ball players would call " a hanging Breaking ball" it never dropped it just hung.
skanker81 3 years ago
doesnt drop from the head to the dirt people that have played baseball will believe that it was 100 percent intentional
cfl990 3 years ago
intentional to by the way
hchsballer14 3 years ago
that was stupid
if you really cared about baseball and about college..someone would never throw somethin like that!
the catcher could have made it look better too by at least throwin his hand up there or somethin
hchsballer14 3 years ago
doesn't surprise me at all
stephens co. always has a dirty and rough reputation in all sports. add another example to that list
wrekinrak25 3 years ago
Clearly on purpose. The catcher's behavior is an embarassment to baseball and competitive sports.
ncaabas 3 years ago
Intentional
Catchers knees begin to drop before the ball is even half way to the plate
The pitcher stares down the up for a brief second, then jerks to the right to make it look like it was an accident
The catcher looks down before the ball get there, what kind of catcher takes their eyes off the ball?
Catcher deserves to be shunned from his college opportunity, and the pitcher doesn't appear to be next level either.
bush league
AggieIce 3 years ago
its kind of a bad time to cheap shot the umpire though just because of that man on base
ccsbaseball7 3 years ago
they ment to do that
dmf5378 3 years ago
heh, i guess they were getting beat so bad theyd figure they could do whatever they wanted
Pens0607 3 years ago
this is tough to call. At first look he seems to do it on purpose, replaying it a few times though he went for the ball before he dropped his knees, so did he slip? It's kind of hard to tell from this camera shot, maybe is we had a closer one it would be better.
DRp350 3 years ago
The pitcher's command was outstanding. He hit the up square in the nose! Get the kid a scholie!
1MileRunner 3 years ago
Why would they do that with a man on base?
colesparta 3 years ago
i play softball and even if i dint you could easily see that it was on purpose. if the catcher was smart he would have caught it. you cant play college ball when you make cheap shots like that.
mccanniac 3 years ago
the ump. was making bad calls the entire time.... i have a feeling it was deserved.... im from stephens so...
kelseygagirl21 3 years ago
Yea he did.
Boomer1947 3 years ago
What is even worse is that there was a runner on second!
southpawGTR20 3 years ago
To Doctordude:
Thank you, My friend: You have spoken very well. You could not have said this any better. Due to your comment, you have taken away the "reasonable doubt" from the picture. I agree, it was obvious, and with your skillful input, you have erased any ambiguity from such.
Best Wishes.
Good day.
eddyvideostar 3 years ago
wow
goleafs4 3 years ago
hard call to make
jobo916 3 years ago
You'd have to be a complete idiot to not see this once and know it's entirely intentional. You wouldn't even need to be familiar with baseball.
ftwelve12 3 years ago
idk its kinda confusing what they're doin...even if he took a shot at the ump, the ump would be fine it hit him in the mask
iluvjoestoll 3 years ago
The catcher had an accademic scholarship to Gordon college. He was being accepted as a walk on to the baseball team. Academic scholarship stands, but no baseball for him. I would not say catcher is a low life. He made a stupid judgement call that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
jcoleiv 3 years ago
lol
maybe they did try
i think he was supposed 2 throw a drop ball and th catcher didn't wanna get hit so he fell ((:
3rdBaseLegend 3 years ago
I don't play but two things make it look intentional to me. 1) I could catch better than that, no one is that bad, he obviously is getting out of the way, he doesn't even watch the ball in. 2) He knows it hits the ump cos it hits him in the back right after but he never looks back out of concern, even for a split second, or to figure out what happened.
HueyLewisRocks 3 years ago
Overreaction
sasquatchofDU 3 years ago
hitting the umpire is the perfect way to get back at him
arslan3211 3 years ago
I have been umpiring high school and youth games for over 18 years. It has happened to me and countless other umpires. Don't they realize you could injure that man for life? Had it been me, I'm tossing pitcher, catcher and head coach. Why the head coach? He's responsible for the actions of his players on the field. Was it an intentional pitch at the umpire? You bet it was. That is a judgement call for the umpire to make. Make no mistake, that was "not" a mixup in signals.
baseballupire 3 years ago
sweet credentials...
congvo 3 years ago
i definetly agree
mheadsports12 3 years ago
You can't prove that he hit him intentionally.
PeopleGettingOwned 3 years ago
except for the completely obvious actions of the catcher, you're correct. That's gotta be the worst "sell job" by a catcher I've ever seen. He'll get better at it as he gets more experience.
doctordude 3 years ago
the school was fined $1000 and put on probation. The catcher was had a full ride to Gordon College.....they called and told him not to come.......exactly what he deserves.
bholland1012 3 years ago
Not exactly accurate. I know catcher wasn't a scholarship player.
dunnblue72 3 years ago
thats good news because any real catcher would stay in front of the ball.thats their job.stay in front of ball and give umpire some protection
BiscuitKid13 3 years ago
this wasn't about "that" pitch..it was retaliation for whatever happened with calls that lead up to it.
tariq42 3 years ago
Sore Losers, no class.
-SCHS Grad
bamadawgsc 3 years ago
Is there really a doubt in anyones mind that it was intentional? The third base coach immediatley goes to the third base ump and tells him that it was. I hope the pitcher and catcher lose everything they might have had going for them in baseball. The coach of the team should also be relieved of his duty indefinatly.
wrxutec 3 years ago
I agree with all. It was a deliberate throw at the umpire or possible the batter. From what I heard from people who were at the game, the pitcher for Stephens county hit two Canes players on purpose. Very lousy sportsmanship exhibited by a group of sore losers.
redkilt01 3 years ago
The half inning prior to this pitch the last Stephen's County batter to strike out really threw a fit. He's also the older brother of the pitcher who threw at the ump. Coincidence? Shame on the coaches and parents that tolerate this crap, and good luck to the boys on this team....if they can't cope with baseball, life is going to be hard for them.
luckyduck63 3 years ago
i play baseball and i pitch in college....thats a bush league play on the part of stephens county...play the game right, your getting your ass wooped suck it up...the umpire didnt lose the game for ya
knightsbaseball31 3 years ago
Stephens county high has been fined $1000 for this.
Jimmy1955John 3 years ago
The catcher obviously ducked on purpose. Looks like the poor babies couldnt take their loss like men. i say TAKE IT LIKE A MAN, BOY!!!
Hitbound 3 years ago
Totally intentional -Ump should have defaulted the team told the coach why and left!
iandemagii 3 years ago
look closey at the batter....they may have gotten a two for one "wild pitch".
DawgCountry 3 years ago
not buyin it... because whenever I was hit with a pitch I always started to take my base I never just stood there. Especially if he got hit in the head he would have started moving toward 1st.
Maverick2016 3 years ago
I was a minor league catcher at one time, and for sure that was intentional. When else do you ever see a catcher make any type of catch like that????????
heddude 3 years ago
look very close at the batter...looks to me like they got a two for one pitch.
DawgCountry 3 years ago
without a doubt.. the catcher dropped before he even knew where the ball was going
umpire1011 3 years ago
Yes very intentional.
DoubleMM70 3 years ago
look at the batter.....they may have gotten a two for one.
DawgCountry 3 years ago
the catcher could have called for a curve and the pitcher threw a fastball that didn't drop like the curve would have
classicrocker001 3 years ago
shut up...you werent even at the game...
cartersville6 3 years ago
it looked like the catcher completely ducked out of the way. intentional for sure.
texasranga 3 years ago
I can Tell by the Pitcher's stand point that he diid it on purpose. The catcher wouldn't have got up in the first place and the pitcher let the ball away too early. He also moved on the rubber
MichaelMcafee1 3 years ago
Looks completely intentional... I would have handled it differently... the manager should have been in the umps face all night long, getting himself thrown out of the game instead of the pitcher and catcher having to handle it in that manner.
redlegone 3 years ago
Totally intentional and totally justified. I hear this ump had been making bogus calls all night. If you're going to be a biased official, then this is just an occupational hazard.
UFBusdriver 3 years ago
I cannot believe you think that was totally justified. Some people just have no capability of being rational when talking about "a game."
brencase 3 years ago
i think the catcher thought the ball was coming low but misjudged it.
titansfootballnm 3 years ago
You are kidding, right?
brencase 3 years ago
com'on man... u know that was soooo abvious he did that on purpose.
tariq42 3 years ago
I'd say as a former back catcher that was on purpose
Sethrod8 3 years ago
I don't know from the pitchers standpoint. There is no way to prove the pitcher had anything to do with it, but the catcher is obvious. It's the catcher who gets to talk with the umpire as well. SO he may have talked to the umpire, not like the strike zone, and did something stupid like this.
juliet97 3 years ago
No umpire deserves that to happen to them. It had to be intentional.
maurieb82 3 years ago
I played baseball for SCHS in 2003. This was obviously intentional and very disturbing. what a complete lack of CLASS. i hope they get the punishment they deserve. Parents and fans were rude, crybaby pricks as well.
bholland1012 3 years ago
catcher has gotten his scholarship pulled, school was fined $ 1,000 and placed on probation, brother of the pitcher will be drafted in the first round tomorrow....
westy31006 3 years ago
haha my team has done that before
yankeesws07 3 years ago
This was definitely intentional. I was there, and I'd seen the players throw fits all game long over pitches, calls... they were throwing equipment and flipping off the umps (and the other fans), too.
DeviousMuse 3 years ago
the catcher definitely ducked
cs2233 3 years ago
Intentional,and really good aim.
DROK5 3 years ago
The catcher shouldn't have ducked, but reached up to get the ball. D:
gravityroxz 3 years ago
Intentional
Omegax9000 3 years ago
lol
jeremykim23 3 years ago
Intentional. the catcher ducks. He needs to Get Sulky
Zeynupstyle 3 years ago
intentional thec catcher didnt even make an effort
lmbassmaster 3 years ago
definitley intentional no catcher is stupid enough to call for a high pitch then drop to his knees
dasuperbowlbears115 3 years ago
accident!
ltsAboutJesus 3 years ago
wow .. so obvious!! intentional!
bugg53 3 years ago
i also forgot to mention in my comment below that the catcher(dont know) pitcher(cody martin) and his brother eathan had a little meeting on the mound right before this pitch was thrown
huntthefield08 3 years ago
whatever he did, he knows not to screw up with these players anymore...
livlafluv038 3 years ago