Umpire Walks off Field After Fan Abuse at Youth Game

An umpire officiating a youth baseball game in Newport Beach, California walked off the field following abuse from parents, having warned that he would forfeit the game if the unsportsmanlike conduct continued. It did, and he followed through by leaving the Newport Harbor field.

The 13u or 14u game, reportedly, between the Nomar Garciaparra-infused GPG (Garciaparra Baseball Group) and a team called Riptide, took place on the campus of Newport Harbor High School over the weekend, and is just the latest example of poor sportsmanship at sporting events.

The event captured on video likely had been brewing far ahead of the recording, given that the coaches were on the field when the umpire called the game and the umpire's first comments on the video were an issuance of an ultimatum: "Enough. I'm not hearing another word out of anyone."

The problem started prior to the video.

The parents protested the umpire's warning ("then be fair!"), to which the umpire clarified the solemnity of the situation: "Did you hear me? If you want to have a game here, quiet down."

Though a parent quipped, "stay professional for the kids and do your job, that's it," what caused the umpire to terminate the game was one final taunt: "Are you mad 'cause the kids are taller than you?"

True to his word, the umpire stopped the game and walks off the field.

Gil's Call: At the MLB, NCAA level or equivalent, this probably doesn't turn into a forfeited game simply because the working conditions for umpires are superior to that of youth travel ball.

Here, the two youth teams playing on a Sunday are using a rented-out high school facility with likely little-to-no game management in attendance. Whereas Bob Davidson in 2016 could call for Phillies security to remove an abuse fan in Philadelphia, there is no such recourse here. The youth umpire is in a precarious position in a crew of one, with no administrative support, and little-to-no incentive to continue the game.
Related Post: Unofficial Ejection - Bob Davidson Requests Fan Removal (11/21/19).

Codes of Conduct prohibit poor behavior.

Sportsmanship is a problem in modern sports, despite code of conducts imploring parents and others to maintain such decorum. For instance, the Little League Baseball Sport Parent Code of Conduct lists, amongst others, "I (and my guests) will not engage in any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct with any official, coach, player, or parent such as booing and taunting; refusing to shake hands; or using profane language or gestures."

Earlier this year, 13-year-old umpire Josh Cordova game between seven-year-old teams in Lakewood, Colorado ended due to a massive stands-clearing brawl amongst parents, garnering national attention and a big league experience with Chris Guccione's crew during a Rockies game.
Related Post: Workplace Violence - Parents Brawl at Youth Game (6/20/19).
Related Post: Umpires Host Cordova in Colorado (7/1/19).

If you have experienced issues of poor sportsmanship, bullying, abuse, anxiety, or depression in connection with officiating, visit our sponsor, The OSIP Foundation, where Outstanding Sportsmanship is Paramount.

Video as follows:

Ask UEFL - Forfeit When Ejected Mgr Refuses to Leave

After Mark Carlson's ejection of Chicago's Rick Renteria when the White Sox manager refused to leave until the umpire forced him out, we received an Ask the UEFL question, "Can an ump forfeit a game when an ejected player, coach, or manager refuses to leave the field/dugout?"

While the short answer is "yes" (an ump can also forfeit a game if an ejected athletic trainer refuses to leave!) the more detailed response is more nuanced.

Whether the call leading to ejection was correct or not is of little consequence: this article pertains solely to an ejected person who refuses to leave as prescribed by Official Baseball Rule 6.04(d), which states, "When a manager, player, coach or trainer is ejected from a game, he shall leave the field immediately and take no further part in that game. He shall remain in the Club house or change to street clothes and either leave the park or take a seat in the grandstand well removed from the vicinity of his team’s bench or bullpen."

As long as it gets you to leave...

The relevant rule for forfeiture is OBR 7.03(a) and in this situation, 7.03(a)(5) and (6) may apply. Provision (5) states, "A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—After warning by the umpire, willfully and persistently violates any rules of the game," whereas 7.03(a)(6) states, "A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—Fails to obey within a reasonable time the umpire’s order for removal of a player from the game."

In other words, a manager who is ejected but remains in the dugout after an umpire orders him/her to leave may cause a forfeit. Only the umpire-in-chief has the authority to forfeit a game (OBR 8.03(a)(6)). The MLB Umpire Manual, for instance, requires the UIC consult with—and receive approval from—the Crew Chief prior to declaring a forfeit (so, in Chicago, if things deteriorated that much, Carlson as UIC and CC would be empowered to declare the forfeit).

That may not be reasonable...or is it?

What is a "reasonable time"? Baseball's other forfeit provisions carry certain time limits—(1)'s five-minute start-of-game grace period, (4)'s resumption of play within one minute after a certain suspension of play, and (7)'s 20-minute break between games of a straight double-header...but (6)'s refusing to leave after an ejection simply states, "within a reasonable time."

In the Australian Baseball League, Geelong-Korea Manager Dae-Sung Koo pulled his team off the field after HP Umpire Ben Nash ejected him in November 2018. The umpires waited five minutes before the offending team returned to the field, upon which time play was resumed. In this situation, umpire patience prevented a forfeit, which is likely a key goal at the professional level.
Related Post: ABL - Korea Pulls Team off Field After Manager Ejection (11/16/18).

I included OBR 7.03(a)(5) [willful and persistent violation of a rule] for the benefit of the rulebook lawyers amongst us who are quick to point out that 7.03(a)(6) says "player" but not explicitly "coach" or "manager." Willful and persistent violation of ejection rule 6.04(d) occurs when an ejected person—which includes managers, as in 6.04(d)—fails to "leave the field immediately and take no further part in that game."

Decide which forfeit rule may apply.

For the rulebook lawyer that notes that "leave the field" doesn't explicitly state, "dugout" or "bench," I included the following sentence of 6.04(d), which gives the ejectee several options: 1) Go and stay in the clubhouse, 2) leave the ballpark, or 3) sit in the stands well removed from the vicinity of the team's bench/bullpen area. That should establish the spirit of this rule.

Gil's Call: Although we might have gotten a Jim Wolf-Frank Robinson-esque stare-down had Carlson not entertained Renteria's request to visit the dugout, this is the right move to make—to swallow pride and ego in order to get the ejected party to leave.

Let the ejected person have the last word, it's a Pyrrhic victory, after all. Of course, an umpire should feel free to be all ears, seeking to pepper the ejection report with more source material.

The goal at this point is to get the ejected person to leave and play to continue, and if an umpire is able to do so by walking over and listening to a post-ejection rant while, as Carlson does, not inflaming matters, this should be considered a win: the umpire completes the ejection and the ejected skipper gets to save face (in their mind, anyway...as long as they're leaving).

How rare is a forfeit? The last MLB forfeit occurred in 1995 for baseballs thrown on the field from the stands. Our own Bob Davidson discussed this event in his podcast interview.
Related Post: MLB's Last Forfeit - Bob's Baseball Story (8/10/19).

Bob Davidson had the last NL forfeit in LA.

In the major leagues, the MLB Umpire Manual states, "Announcements shall be made over the P.A. system that a game may be forfeited and again when the game is declared forfeited. Announcement of the possibility of a forfeit must be made to both Clubs and the fans prior to a forfeit." The aforementioned 1995 Cardinals-Dodgers forfeit is what the MLBUM interpretation is primarily designed to address, but the time and resources involved in making such a public announcement just might serve to highlight the absurdity of an ejected person refusing to leave. This is not a National Anthem standoff (although the anthem-off is another topic for another day).

In NFHS (high school), the rule is more direct. NFHS 6-3-1f (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) is rather explicit: "PENALTY: The umpire shall eject the offender from the game. Failure to comply shall result in game being forfeited."

NCAA (college) Rule 5-12 states a forfeit shall only be called as "a last resort." 5-12-f indicates, "If the order for the removal of a player, coach or team personnel is not obeyed, the game is suspended until the order of removal is corrected (see 3-6-d)." In other words, umpires will call the game if it gets to that point, and NCAA likes the conference involved in issues of severe discipline. That said, NCAA shares OBR's provision for forfeiture: "If, after warning by the umpire, any one of the rules of the game is willfully and persistently violated" (NCAA 5-12-e). As in pro ball, the Umpire-in-Chief carries forfeiture authority.

Video as follows:

MLB's Last Forfeit - Bob's Baseball Story

On this anniversary of MLB's last forfeit, we travel back to Los Angeles on August 10, 1995 when 1B Umpire Bob Davidson's Crew Chief Jim Quick forfeited the Cardinals-Dodgers game to St. Louis. As Bob tells the story, it all started with an ill-advised pre-game Dodger Stadium promotional giveaway as LA sought to bolster rookie pitcher Hideo Nomo's season.

As fate would have it, Nomo—who did win the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year Award—wound up taking the loss in the forfeit-shortened ballgame.

During our inaugural episode of The Plate Meeting, guest Bob Davidson recalled that summer's night at Chavez Ravine working with umpires Quick, Bill Hohn, and Larry Poncino, which featured a few LAD ejections (Eric Karros, Tommy Lasorda, Raul Mondesi) while a packed stadium fanbase threw souvenir baseballs onto the field throughout the later innings despite warnings—to the fans and the team itself—to stop.
Related Post: Plate Meeting Podcast Episode 1 - Bob Davidson (7/17/18).

Now, in video storyteller form, here's Bob Davidson's account of the last time Rule 7.03 (then-Rule 4.15, "A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—after warning by the umpire, willfully and persistently violates any rules of the game"; also Rule 4.07(b)'s "The home team shall provide police protection sufficient to preserve order") was enforced in Major League Baseball, as well as a postgame phone conversation with NL President Len Coleman and how his crew was received the next day in San Francisco:

ABL - Korea Pulls Team off Field After Manager Ejection

During an Australian Baseball League game against the Sydney Blue Sox, Geelong-Korea Manager Dae-Sung Koo pulled his team off the field in protest of a first-inning ejection by Australian Baseball League HP Umpire Ben Nash related to a ball/strike call. After a five-minute delay, the Korean team returned to the field and the game resumed, with Sydney's squad going on to win in regulation.

Geelong-Korea plays in the Southwest Division of the ABL.

HP Umpire Ben Nash ejected Geelong-Korea Baseball Manager Dae-Sung Koo (ball calls; QOCU*) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the Korea-Blue Sox game. With one out and the bases loaded, Blue Sox batter Trent D'Antonio took four called balls from Korea pitcher Jae-Gon Lee, including a 3-2 pitch ruled inside for ball four, upon which, Dae-Sung Koo was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, pulling his team off the field in protest and causing a suspension of play. At the time of the ejection, the Blue Sox were leading, 1-0. The Blue Sox ultimately won the contest, 7-2.

Rules Discussion: As we discussed following the 18-inning Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, Official Baseball Rule 7.03(b) states that "a game shall be forfeited to the opposing team when a team is unable or refuses to place nine players on the field." OBR 7.03(a)(3) is also relevant ("Refuses to continue play during a game unless the game has been suspended or terminated by the umpire-in-chief").

The team should generally be afforded the opportunity to correct the error, or should otherwise be warned of the possibility of a forfeit before the game is terminated. The MLB Umpire Manual (not in Australia) states a public address announcement shall additionally be made to advise the possibility of a forfeit before one is declared.
Related Post: World Series Forfeit? Unable to Field Nine Players (10/27/18).

Timetable: No time limit/timeline is set for a 7.03(a)(3) or 7.03(b) forfeit, though here is a quick table of forfeit time limits for other provisions of the rule:
7.03(a)(1) (Beginning of the game forfeits): Must be ready to play within five minutes of umpire's "Play" call.
7.03(a)(4) (After a suspension of play): Must resume play within one minute of umpire's "Play" call.
7.03(a)(6) (Refusing to leave after ejection): Must obey umpire's order "within a reasonable time."
7.03(a)(7) (Start of doubleheader Game 2): Must be ready within 20 minutes if straight DH.^

^Most often, the intermission between doubleheader games is extended by the umpires by more than 20 minutes, so 7.03(a)(7) rarely comes into play.
*QOC not available for ball/strike ejections where pitch-tracking technology is not in use.

Wrap: Geelong-Korea vs. Sydney Blue Sox (ABL), 11/16/18 | Video as follows:

World Series Forfeit? Unable to Field Nine Players

With Dodgers and Red Sox managers running out of bench players and substitutes during Friday/Saturday's World Series Game 3 in Los Angeles, we ask what would happen if a team ran out of players and someone got hurt? Answer: Forfeit (umpire declaration). Longest postseason game in MLB history or not, professional baseball requires nine position players during every game with penalty of forfeit for any team that attempts to play shorthanded.

Really—a forfeit on baseball's biggest stage?

It certainly hasn't happened before during the World Series, but Official Baseball Rule 7.03(b) states that at the Major League level, a team forfeits when it cannot or will not field nine players on defense:

A game shall be forfeited to the opposing team when a team is unable or refuses to place nine players on the field.

And don't even think about trying to bring someone back into the game after they were already replaced: "A player once removed from a game shall not re-enter that game. If a player who has been substituted for attempts to reenter, or re-enters, the game in any capacity, the umpire-in-chief shall direct the player’s manager to remove such player from the game immediately" (OBR 5.10(d)).

And 5.10(d) Comment: "If, in an umpire’s judgment, the player re-entered the game knowing that he had been removed, the umpire may eject the manager."

Weaver and Springstead have a conversation.

History: The last major league forfeit of this variety occurred on September 15, 1977, when Orioles Manager Earl Weaver refused to place his team on the field after umpire Marty Springstead, alongside Larry Barnett, Jim Evans, and Vic Voltaggio, rejected Weaver's request to remove a bullpen tarp. Though Weaver claimed player safety as motivation, the American League recorded the game as a forfeit in favor of Toronto (the Blue Jays were leading, 4-0 at the time).

Meanwhile, the last minor league forfeit under 7.03(b) (formerly 4.15(c)) took place in August 2014, when umpires Andy Stukel and Jordan Johnson ruled a forfeit in the Pioneer League when the Ogden Raptors refused to take the field following a rain delay, arguing that the field was unplayable. That protest wound up overturned after the Pioneer League affirmed Ogden's protest and ordered the game replayed from the seventh inning interruption.
Related Post: MiLB Rookie Ball Forfeit Overturned on Upheld Protest (8/27/14).

One of the first forfeits of this variety occurred on August 31, 1872. According to retrosheet, Brooklyn refused to continue playing after disagreeing with umpire Tom Pratt's call. Philadelphia's Athletics thus won the contest.

Meanwhile, Boston's forfeit win over Cleveland on August 1, 1883 establishes that players not on the roster at the time of first pitch shall not be permitted to enter the game. Cleveland had attempted to replace injured pitcher Hugh Daily with Will Sawyer; Boston cried foul because Sawyer wasn't present at the start of the game, resulting in a forfeit.

Torre would come up with a solution.

That said, MLB brass—Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre, Commissioner Rob Manfred, and the like—does have some flexibility within the rules. For instance, OBR does not explicitly state how many players may be named to the roster. Though we know "25-man roster" as standard baseball vernacular, could MLB corporate tweak this element of the "not an official rule" provision? Recall, of course, pursuant to the 1883 precedent, that the player must be present at the start of the game, barring a rules change.

After all, Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig did infamously declare a tie in the 11th inning of the 2002 All-Star Game after both teams ran out of available pitchers. That led to the whole "This time it counts" home-field advantage for the World Series campaign, and so forth, but most importantly...Selig's action took place during an All-Star Game that, at the time, didn't count for all that much.

We're talking about the World Series here.

Pursuant to MLB Umpire Manual procedure, a forfeit requires Crew Chief consent and the Crew Chief shall give ample warning to both sides (and to the crowd via the public address system, in the event of fans throwing debris, for instance) before declaring a forfeit; after the game, said Crew Chief contacts the MLB office to advise them of the forfeit.

SIDEBAR: Bob Davidson described a forfeit he had at Dodger Stadium in his Plate Meeting Podcast interview (Episode 1) when the Dodgers forfeited to the Cardinals in August 1995 on baseball giveaway night (fans threw balls on the field when things didn't go LA's way late in the game), and his late night conversation with NL President Leonard Coleman to advise him of the forfeited game.
Related Post: Plate Meeting Podcast Episode 1 - Bob Davidson (7/17/18).

Bob Davidson had a forfeit in LA in 1995.

For 2018 World Series Game 3, Crew Chief and HP Umpire Ted Barrett—who presided over 561 total pitches, 286 of which were callable—would surely consult with a supervisor or someone higher up the food chain, even if it meant waiting for Manfred and Torre to make it down to the field, or to get someone up in New York via Replay Review...this is MLB's ultimate jewel event, after all.

SIDEBAR: Stats count in a forfeit as long as the game has progressed enough innings to be a regulation game. With this potential forfeit situation occurring in extras, those states would count. If the team credited with the win was leading at the time of the forfeit, the pitchers would be credited with a win or loss as usual. If the team credited with the win was losing at the time of the forfeit, there would be no winning or losing pitchers. Forfeits receive an official score of 9-0 victories in favor of the benefiting team.

In sum, although Rule 7.03(b) is pretty clear about forfeiting a game when a team is unable to place nine players on the field, the collective MLB brain trust would have little trouble working out a creative solution to prevent this ultimate travesty from marring a World Series—or at least present an intercedent measure to soften the blow. Either that or a rules change for the offseason. One thing is for certain though, a decision this significant, at this monumental stage, would surely be out of the umpires' hands.

MiLB Rookie Ball Forfeit Overturned on Upheld Protest

MiLB Ogden Raptors' forfeit was overturned on a protest upheld by the Pioneer League Wednesday. After a 47-minute rain delay before first pitch, Tuesday night's Raptors-Rockies game continued uninterrupted until the 7th inning, whereupon the Raptors, leading 4-2 against first-place Grand Junction, argued that the field was unfit for further play due to rain throughout the evening. The umpires disagreed and deemed the field playable.

McDowell pleads with 1B Umpire Jordan Johnson.

HP Umpire Andy Stukel ejected Raptors Pitching Coach Greg Sabat for arguing the decision to continue playing while Raptors Manager Jack McDowell elected to keep his team from taking the field after the seventh-inning stretch. Following a 15-minute delay caused by Ogden's refusal to assume its defensive positions, UIC Stukel forfeited the contest in favor of Grand Junction by the score of 9 to 0, for Ogden's violation of Rule 4.17, which states, "A game shall be forfeited to the opposing team when a team is unable or refuses to place nine players on the field." Rule 4.15(c) provides similar basis for forfeit wherein a team abandons its effort to continue play or  "refuses to continue play during a game unless the game has been suspended or terminated by the umpire-in-chief."

In affirming Ogden's protest, the Pioneer League applied Rule 4.12(a)(3), which states that a game shall become suspended and must be completed at a future date due to, "Light failure or malfunction of a mechanical field device under control of the home club. (Mechanical field device shall include automatic tarpaulin or water removal equipment.)" This was the same basis for Major League Baseball's decision last week to uphold its first protest in 28 years.

However, Rule 4.01(e) states that once a game has commenced (defined as the point in time when the lineup cards are exchanged and handed to the plate umpire), "the umpire-in- chief shall have sole authority to determine when a game shall be called, suspended or resumed on account of weather or the condition of the playing field."

Box Score: Ogden Raptors vs. Grand Junction Rockies (MiLB Rookie Pioneer League), 8/26/14