I think you all are getting fooled by the camera angle. You're used to watching basically straight on in MLB games, and this is from the side. This would not be as big of a deal if it had hit the helmet. This was a championship game, you have to think that there were tons of people there including state officials. Someone would have stepped up in this kids defense if it had hit the helmet first.

I think you all are getting fooled by the camera angle. You're used to watching basically straight on in MLB games, and this is from the side. This would not be as big of a deal if it had hit the helmet. This was a championship game, you have to think that there were tons of people there including state officials. Someone would have stepped up in this kids defense if it had hit the helmet first.

 

Not to mention that you'd think that the coach or players involved from the offending team would come out and publicly deny it if they had some sort of alibi to go by.

 

I can tell you one thing, this kid better bring a tree trunk to the plate if he ever expects a to get a hit next year. I'm sure the other umpires won't take too kindly to this

Pitcher is innocent. Catcher is questionable. I think the ball may have hit the helmet as well. If it didn't then the catcher is guilty. However, I don't think a catcher would do this on his own.

I'll give you all that this pitch may have nicked the helmet. I still don't think it did, but either way I still think it was intentional. The catcher's glove doesn't come within a foot of the ball. If he was really trying to catch the ball it would have atleast gotten closer than that. Now way that is a mix up in pitches.

Catcher is guilty.

He sets up for a high inside pitch...you see him rise out of his crouch.

Then the itch is high and tight....it looks like it grazes the helmet, and the catcher flops. If there were any intent to catch the ball he would have moved in the direction of the pitch, but he drops like he is blocking a pitch in the dirt....

Location of pitch called is a beeline right at the umpire.

Kid was walking on and no scholarship. He's 100% guilty of letting the pitch go.

I have heard of a catcher letting the the ball go by and hitting the ump but never have seen it done. I was told it happens when one team feels like they are getting squeezed at the plate by the ump and it is some what of high pitch inside and the catcher does not move fast enough to catch it. Like I said I have never seen it done.

Who is to say they aren't throwing at the batter. If the pitch did hit the batter in the head, maybe the two (pitcher and catcher) were head-hunting the other team...and not the ump. I would be interested in seeing how that particular hitter was doing in this game leading up to this at bat.

I can see why one might think it hit the batter from the angle we saw. However, there is absolutely NO indication from the batter that he got hit.

 

In addition, as someone above said, the catcher made no attempt to raise his glove to the ball and actually hit his knees before it came close to the batter.

 

Catcher is 100% guilty.

They were losing 8-1 when this happened and the preceding 9 batters had struck out . Lots of jawing to the umpire, throwing helmets in the dugout, and general boorish behavior. The coach has to take some blame for that part of it.

You should watch the video again. If someone gets hit with a fastball in the helmet, you'll see some sort of reaction and you don't see that.

 

Well, for one thing, it wasn't a fastball. It was a big, looping breaking ball.

Well, for one thing, it wasn't a fastball. It was a big, looping breaking ball.

 

It wasn't a big, looping breaking ball at all. If it is anything besides a fastball then it was a sharp breaking slider. Once again the camera angle is fooling everybody.

I just watched again and it clearly hits the batter's helmet, IMO.

I just watched again and it clearly hits the batter's helmet, IMO.

 

It may very well have hit the batters helmet. I'll give you that one (I don't think it does but that is really besides the point). The catcher never comes within a foot of the ball. If you are just reacting you'll put your glove up in the general area. Even if you get crossed up, you still will get close to catching the ball. The catcher clearly had no intention of catching the ball, whether the ball was intended for the umpire or the batter.

It wasn't a big, looping breaking ball at all. If it is anything besides a fastball then it was a sharp breaking slider. Once again the camera angle is fooling everybody.

 

I know a breaking ball, regardless what angle I'm looking at it from. That was a breaking ball. The batter was even in the process of doing that shoulder-tuck away from it, the way you see every other batter in the world who doesn't see the breaking ball properly. The pitcher threw it at the batter's head, expecting it to drop into the strike zone. It didn't, because it hit dude's helmet.