Umpire Classroom

Only bad things can happen if you don't get off the field quickly.

So, once the game ends, get out of sight.

Opening Weekend!

Happy Opening Day!

Today is MLB Opening Day ⚾️

Wishing all the umpires across Major League Baseball a great season ahead! Your professionalism, focus, and commitment to the game don’t go unnoticed.

Here’s to making the tough calls, keeping the game moving, and being a steady presence every single night.

Have a safe, successful, and rewarding season out there 👊

There's always been the arguments over if it should count to 4 balls and 3 strikes, or 3 balls and 2 strikes.

But what about one that counts to 3 balls and 3 strikes? 🤔

A common misconception some umpires seem to have about the NFHS rule book is that there are penalties that say something like:

"Upon violation, the umpire should finish the game, go home, and email the assigner to complain that the rule was violated and ask the assigner to handle it."

I bring this up because that is obviously not anywhere in the rule book, yet many umpires act like it is.

There is no penalty in the rule book that instructs the umpire to email someone after the game because they chose not to handle a rule violation on the field.

Now, there are occasional league policies that require reporting later. For example, in GHSA, if a field is not properly lined after being warned, that should go in the game report. But most of the time, that is not how rule enforcement works.

The rule book states a rule and imposes a penalty for violating it. The expectation is that the umpire will apply the rule and penalty during the game.

(Okay, maybe not every rule has a clear penalty. Looking at you, player-to-player meetings. But that’s a discussion for another day.)

This time of year, as temperatures start to rise, you’ll begin to see coaches transition out of their heavier jackets during pregame and early innings. That’s when this issue starts popping up.

By rule, coaches must either wear the same uniform top as the players or a team jacket, windbreaker, quarter-zip, or similar outer layer over the uniform.

What is not allowed is a T-shirt as the outer garment, even if it’s a team-issued shirt.

The rule is clear. If a coach is not in uniform, they are restricted to the dugout.

We need to be addressing this on the field, not ignoring it and emailing someone later.

I had this come up the other day. After the top of the first, I told the head coach:

“Jeff, your base coaches are out of uniform. You’ve got a light sweatshirt on, but they’re just wearing T-shirts. That’s not a legal uniform top.”

At first, he said coaches didn’t have to wear uniforms. I explained that they do. He said he’d handle it, and the next inning, both base coaches came out with their jackets on.

Later, he joked with me that he didn’t even like the T-shirts because they weren't a good look for older men. We both had a laugh about that.

And that’s usually how these situations go.

This is not necessarily a hill to die on immediately. Make them aware they are out of uniform. Most of the time, they’ll fix it in the next half inning when they go back to the dugout, just like this team did.

But the key point is this:

You have to address it.

Do not ignore the violation and send an email later asking someone else to deal with it. If it’s happening in front of you, it’s yours to handle.

Tell them they’re out of uniform.
Give them the chance to correct it.
And if it’s something obvious like jeans or sweatpants, then yes, that’s going to require immediate attention.

But either way, the rule is enforced on the field, not in your email.

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Every umpire will eventually have to eject a coach — but what happens after the ejection can matter even more than the call itself.

Your report protects you, your partner, and your association. Learn the two simple steps that every umpire should follow immediately after an ejection.

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It's official!

BREAKING: Major League Baseball will use the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) during the entire 2026 season

ABS CHALLENGE RULES:

- Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they're successful

- Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or batter, and the request must come right after the pitch

- To signal a challenge, the pitcher, catcher, or batter will tap his hat or helmet to let the umpire know

- No help from the dugout or other players on the field is allowed

- In each extra inning, a team will be awarded a challenge if it has none remaining entering the inning

The ABS Challenge System powered by T-Mobile 5G network uses cameras set up around the perimeter of the field to track the location of each pitch and a graphic on the scoreboard shows the result of the challenge