Baseball Rules Corner.(Brief Article)

When an umpire calls `time' strange things can happen

ALTHOUGH THE PLATE UMPIRE IS the primary focus of attention during a ballgame, the field umpires are empowered with a great deal of authority, including file right to call "time" when necessary per rule 9.04(b). This has created an abundance of interesting and sometimes bizarre situations.

On July 14, the Mariners met the Padres in an interleague game in San Diego where the Mariners' John Olerud was the victim, then the beneficiary of 9.04(b). Here is what happened.

With runners on first and second and one out in the sixth inning and the Mariners trailing, 2-1, Olerud doubled to left. But it turned out that first base umpire Jim Wolf called "time" because a baseball had come out into fair territory in right field near Seattle's bullpen even though no relievers were warming up at the time.

Mariners skipper Lou Piniella stormed out of the dugout and angrily argued, but got nowhere as he stalked from ump to ump, his cap in hand. The run was erased and the runners returned to first and second, and Olerud got his bat and went back to the plate. On a 1-0 pitch from Brian Meadows, the Mariners' first baseman drove the ball into the right field seats giving Seattle a 4-2 lead.

Piniella was on the other side of the fence seven years earlier (August 22, 1993) when the Mariners met the Blue Jays at the SkyDome. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Roberto Alomar flied out to right. But just before Seattle pitcher Chris Bosio delivered the pitch, a fan ran onto the field which prompted first base umpire Vic Voltaggio to signal "time" before the pitch.

Given another life, Alomar singled to center which led to a four-run rally and Toronto went on to a 12-7 win.