Photos by Roxann Anzo

Local umpires Dale Anzo and Scott Letendre umpired a series of baseball games between the Chico Heat and Yuma Scorpions last week. The Scorps featured former Oakland Athletics players Jose Conseco and Tony Phillips. You may notice that Philips looks less than thrilled with Anzo in the photo above.

According to Anzo, the conversation went something like this:

Phillips: that was outside.

Anzo: caught the corner.

Phillips: no, that ball was outside.

Anzo: it caught the corner. Get back in the box.

So Anzo, did you get his autograph? (Phillips was the 2nd baseman on the As’ 1989 world championship team. (more…)

Here is the final question of Umpire Dale Anzo’s three part question about a runner being hit by a batted ball in fair territory. This part is a bit bizarre but I suppose it could happen.

Question:

There is a runner on third base.

Batter bunts the ball on a squeeze play.

Runner slides into home and is laying on the plate.

Ball has back spin on it. (more…)

Time’s up. The answer is that the two times a runner can be hit by a batted ball in fair territory and not be called out are: 1. Infield fly–the batter is out, the ball is dead, runner stays at the base he was on when hit. 2. Batted ball is past infielder when the runner is hit, and no other infielder has a play on the ball (umpire’s judgment on whether or not another infielder could have made the play)

The first question in a series of three concerning a runner being hit bay a batted ball was: With one out a runner is standing on second base when the batter hits a line drive and hits the runner standing on second. What’s the call?

The answer is: is that the runner is out, even though he’s standing on the base. The ball is dead, and the batter gets first base.

The second Q: (more…)

Time is up. The correct answer is that the runner is out, even though he’s standing on the base. The ball is dead, and the batter gets first base.

Now umpire Dale Anzo is working a pyramid scheme (not really). Seems he has a series of three related questions, with each one getting tougher to answer. He’ll reveal the second and third over the next couple of days.

Question-1 (more…)

Time’s up. The answers are: a batter can advance to first base on a dropped third strike anytime first base is unoccupied. Also, a batter can advance to first base on a dropped third strike with two outs, even if the base is occupied.

Okay, here’s what seems to be an easy rule. Yet, I often see confusion on the diamond. So I asked Anzo to give me the ruling on a batter advancing to 1st base on a dropped third strike.

The question: (more…)

A few days ago, umpire Dale Anzo asked two questions about using equipment other than a glove to field a batted or thrown ball. Below are the questions and answers.

The questions:

1. What happens when a player uses any part of his/her uniform and/or equipment to field a (1) batted ball or (2) a thrown ball?

2. What happens if a player uses detached uniform or equipment for fielding an infield fly?

The answers: (more…)

The Answer: both runners are safe because the appeal is considered a secondary play…it’s not logical or fair, but apparently that’s the rule.

I’m pretty sure umpire Dale Anzo stayed up all night thinking this one up.

The Play:

There’s a runner on 1st with no outs.

A ground ball is hit to the pitcher.

The pitcher fields the ball and lobs it to the 1st baseman.

The field ump signals out at 1st.

The 1st baseman then throws the ball to the shortstop who has his foot on the bag.

The runner from 1st slides into 2nd after the ball beats him there but for some reason the shortstop does not get the tag down.

The field ump signals safe at 2nd base.

The manager on offense comes out and says the 1st baseman did not have his foot on the bag. (more…)

Umpire Dale Anzo, apparently becoming addicted to challenging SiskiyouYouth.com readers, has a new rule question for you.

Time is up…the answer is: It’s a balk

Go to the SiskiyouYouth.com facebook page for the explanation.

The play:

There’s a runner on 2nd base.

The pitcher turns to either bluff the runner back or attempt a pick off.

As the pitcher pivots to throw to 2nd base, the runner takes off for 3rd base.

The pitcher puts down his non pivot foot, and throws to third.

The runner is tagged out at third.

(more…)

Umpire Dale Anzo has a new question for SiskiyouYouth.com readers. This play actually happened in a college baseball game in Oregon.

The Play:

It does not matter how many outs.

There’s a runner at 1st.

Batter hits a shot to left field.

Runner from 1st rounds 3rd trying to score. As he rounds 3rd he is obstructed by the 3rd baseman and falls down. The runner now gets in a run down between home and 3rd. (more…)

So, umpire Dale Anzo has decided to turn the tables on SiskiyouYouth.com’s readers and do the question asking. Below, slightly edited because Anzo was emotionally involved with an As game at the time, is his question.

The answer is at the end of this article.

The situation:

There are runners on 1st and 3rd base with 1 out.

A batter hits a fly ball to right field. (more…)

So what happens when a head coach thinks an umpire has blown a call? Yeah, everyone knows that never happens. But just in case, what’s the proper way to ask an umpire to ask another umpire who may have had a better view for a little help?

Here’s umpire Dale Anzo’s explanation:

The proper way for a coach to get help is to request time and have it granted by the umpire.  Then, the coach should walk or jog over to the umpire.  Never should a coach “charge” an umpire.  Once the coach gets to the umpire, the coach should ask a questions, not just yell at us to get help. (more…)

One of the rules that sometimes seems to confuse fans is the “Catch and Carry” rule. Usually, it comes into play when a fielder makes a catch in foul ground near the line (or sometimes there is no line) signifying “dead ball” territory. After making the catch the fielder’s momentum carries him/her across the line. That’s when it can get confusing for those unfamiliar with the catch and carry rule.

Here is umpire Dale Anzo’s rule explanation:

Rule 8 Section 4, i states:

A live ball is unintentionally carried by a fielder from playable territory into dead-ball territory. A fielder carrying a live ball into the dugout or team area to tag a player is considered to have unintentionally carried it there. (more…)

This is a re-post of an Ask Anzo question from a couple of years ago. I’m re-posting because there were a couple of terribly blown calls in the Etna v Yreka game and Yreka v Del Norte game at the Yreka Tourney over the weekend that weren’t even close to being correct. The idea for Ask Anzo was to help fans learn some of the more confusing rules, but it appears that a couple of umps need a bit of a refresher, as well. The highlighted part of the rules are my emphasis.

According to Anzo:

If you look in the high school baseball or softball rule books, you will never find anywhere in there that a runner has to slide. What it does say is that a runner must slide legally, or if the fielder has the ball he or she must “give up.”

Now you may be asking yourself, what is a legal slide?  A legal slide may be either feet first or head first.  If a runner slides feet first, at least one leg and buttock shall be on the ground. If a runner slides, the runner shall be within reach of the base with either hand or a foot when the slide is completed.

Illegal slides:
1. The runner uses a rolling or cross-body slide into the fielder.
2. The runner’s raised leg is higher than the fielder’s knee when the fielder is in a standing position.
3. The runner goes beyond the base and makes contact with or alters the play of the fielder.
4. The runner slashes or kicks the fielder with either leg.
5. The runner tries to injure the fielder. (more…)

From the official rule out of the N.F.H.S. rule book.

A fair ball is a batted ball that:

a. Settles or is touched on or over fair territory between home and first base or home and third base.

b. Touches or bounds over a base.

c. Touches first, second or third bases.

d. While on or over fair territory touches the person of any umpire or player or their clothing or equipment.

e. While over fair territory passes out of the playing field in flight.

f. First falls or is first touched on or over fair territory beyond first, second, or third base. (more…)

There’s been some discussion recently among some folks about the ruling when a batter has two strikes on him or her, swings at a pitch and the ball hits the batter’s hands. The question being is the batter out?

Yes!

I asked umpire Dale Anzo to give the full explanation. Parts of the conversation were pretty humorous, and unfortunately not printable. So here goes:

1. Hands are not part of the bat.

2. Anytime you swing the bat it is a strike, including if it hits your hands or other part of your body.

3. If you swing and the ball hits your hands with two strikes, it is strike three. The ball is dead, and the batter is out. Any base runners  return. (more…)

There was a call in the Etna v Weed softball game on Tuesday that left more than a few people confused. The play involved the ball being hit and going past the first baseman and then being inadvertently kicked by a base runner while she was running from first base.

The ruling as explained to a coach and then told to me was that because the ball was past the first baseman, it didn’t matter that it contacted the runner. Therefore, both the batter and base runner were safe on the play.

It seemed kind of weird so I asked Dale Anzo what the rule is on that type of play. Here’s the rule:

Rule 8 section 6 article 11

The runner is out when the runner is struck with a fair untouched batted ball while not in contact with a base and before it passes an infielder, excluding the pitcher, or if it passes an infielder and any fielder has an opportunity to make an out.

In the play that occurred in the game, I believe these conditions in the rule were not in dispute: (more…)

By Dale Anzo

If you are like me, you like watching your favorite M.L.B. team or at least listening to them on the radio.  One of me pet peeves while watching or listening is hearing the announcers mess up the foul tip rule.  They will say that a ball that hits the back stop is a foul tip.  It is not.  Here are the official definitions of a foul ball and a foul tip.

Foul Ball

A foul ball is a batted ball that settles on foul territory between home and first base, or between home and third base, or that bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory or that first falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or that, while over foul territory, touches  the person of an umpire or player, or any object foreign to the natural ground. (more…)