TIME ON THE CLOCK

[4jayswhoplay]

scenario: we were the visiting team with 5 min to play in a game that had 1 hour 30 drop. The home team was batting bottom half of the inning. we the visiting team made the final out with exactly 4 seconds to play..(i know cuz the time was ticking on the scoreboard). By the time my girls had began to jog off the field time had expired. WE WON.... or so we thought? The umpire had called game when the opposing coach began his tirade about how there was still five seconds on the clock. We were forced to play another inning. My question is at what point does an inning officially begin or end when dealing with the clock?

[NumeroUno]

at the last recorded out

[NewCoach]

The next inning begins when the third out is recorded. Where we play, a 90 min drop dead means win, lose or draw, the blues are leaving the field after 90 mins. 90 min finish the inning is another anmial altogether, Ive seen all kinds of tricks/ploys/ devices used to extend the game.

[4jayswhoplay]

thank you

[softballdadcoach]

We had one of our assistant coaches get tossed for arguing this one. Umpire decided that since there was only 10 seconds left on the clock when we recorded the last out (we were visitors) in the bottom of an inning, the next inning couldn't get started (he defined it as a pitch being thrown) before time ran out. To my knowledge, the next 1/2 inning begins at the split second the last out of the previous 1/2 inning is recorded/called.

To my knowledge, however, in a 'drop dead' game, when the clock stops, the game is over at that point regardless of what is happenning (an exception is if a ball is actually in play) on the field. Different rule sets/ local rules will go back to the score of the last completed inning, finish the at-bat for the player at the plate, etc. but the expired clock is the exact limit in 'drop-dead'. To that end, I have seen umpires call a game if the clock is down to seconds at the time of a side-change. I guess this makes sense in that there is no way the game-field can be set for the first pitch before the clock runs out...

[DP3816]

Drop Dead means the game is over at the exact moment the clock strikes zero.
finish the batter means the batter completes the AB at the time strikes zero.
finish the inning means complete the inning that is being played at the time the clock strikes zero.

In the example the game should have ended during the side change.

[Bretman]

In the first post, somebody obviously got it wrong. Only it's not clear who was wrong here.

"Drop dead" means that when the clock expires, we're done. If this was truly a "drop dead" time limit, the game should have been over- visitors win.

If it was a "drop dead" time limit, then the umpire should not have allowed another inning to be played. And if it was, the umpire was wrong. You as the coach should have known that and successfully entered a protest that a playing rule was being misinterpreted.

On the other hand, if you're mixing up the different types of time limits and this was a "complete the inning" limit, then the next inning should have been played. As already noted, with that kind of time limit the next inning would begin the instant the third out was recorded in the previous inning.

So...are you certain which it was? Was it a "drop dead" or a "complete the inning" time limit? The answer to that question will tell you if this was the correct ruling or not.

[broadband]

scenario: we were the visiting team with 5 min to play in a game that had 1 hour 30 drop. The home team was batting bottom half of the inning. we the visiting team made the final out with exactly 4 seconds to play..(i know cuz the time was ticking on the scoreboard). By the time my girls had began to jog off the field time had expired. WE WON.... or so we thought? The umpire had called game when the opposing coach began his tirade about how there was still five seconds on the clock. We were forced to play another inning. My question is at what point does an inning officially begin or end when dealing with the clock?

Clock officially starts at the time the last out is recorded. Why another inning started when its 'drop dead'. Sure this wasn't a 'no new' scenario? Sounds like a brain fart.