Tag Plays in Baseball: An Interview with a Professional Umpire
Tag plays are one of the most exciting and controversial moments in baseball. These plays can change the outcome of a game, leaving fans on the edge of their seats until the umpire makes his call. To get a better understanding of what goes into making these calls, we sat down with Jim Johnson, a professional umpire with over 20 years of experience.
Q: What is your process for making tag play calls?
A: Every tag play is different, so there isn’t really a set process that I follow every time. Generally, though, my first step is to make sure I’m in position to see everything that’s happening. Depending on where the ball is hit and where the runners are on base, I might have to move around quite a bit to get into the best possible spot.
Once I’m in position, it’s all about watching closely and trying to anticipate what’s going to happen next. If there’s going to be a potential tag play at home plate or another base, I need to be ready for it mentally and physically.
Q: How do you determine if a runner is safe or out?
A: This comes down to two things: timing and positioning. First off, I need to determine when exactly the tag was made – did it happen before or after the runner touched the bag? That will obviously have a big impact on my call.
Positioning also matters because sometimes it can be tough for me as an umpire to see everything that’s happening from where I am on the field. For example, if there are runners coming from multiple directions at once (like if someone hits a triple), it might be hard for me to see both when exactly they touch each base AND when any tags occur along the way.
In those cases especially – but really any time there could be some doubt about whether someone was tagged out – I have to rely on my other umpiring colleagues to help me make the call. We work as a team out there.
Q: What are some common mistakes that players or coaches make during tag plays?
A: The most common mistake I see from players and coaches is assuming too much. Sometimes they’ll think a runner was safe when he wasn’t, or vice versa, simply because of where they were standing on the field or what angle they had.
Another big mistake is not paying close enough attention to timing – either by the runner trying to steal a base or by someone trying to catch him doing so. If you’re just going through the motions out there, you’re going to miss something important sooner or later.
Q: How do you handle situations where both teams think their player was safe/out?
A: In those cases, it’s really all about staying calm and communicating clearly with everyone involved. It can be tough because emotions are running high at that point in the game (for obvious reasons!), but as an umpire it’s up to me and my colleagues to keep everything under control.
Sometimes we’ll ask for help from other umpires who might have had a better view of what happened – we want every call we make to be as accurate as possible. But ultimately if there’s still disagreement after reviewing things together, I have to go with my own judgment based on everything I saw happen.
That being said, one thing people may not know is that sometimes even professional umpires can get calls wrong! We’re only human too. But our goal is always to get it right more often than not.
Q: Are there any new technologies being developed that could change how tag plays are called in baseball?
A: Yes! One technology that has already been implemented in MLB games is replay review – this allows managers and/or umpires themselves (in certain circumstances) to request video replays of certain calls made during the game. This has been a big help in getting things right that we might have missed on the field.
Another technology that’s being developed is electronic strike zones – basically, using cameras and sensors to detect whether a pitch was actually thrown within the official “strike zone” or not. This would obviously have an impact on tag plays as well, since it could make things like check swings and foul balls easier to judge.
It remains to be seen how much these types of technologies will change baseball in the long run, but I think they’re both promising developments for improving accuracy overall.
Q: Finally, what advice do you have for aspiring umpires out there?
A: My biggest piece of advice would be to always stay focused and engaged out there on the field. Whether you’re working little league games or hoping to become a professional umpire someday, it’s important to take every call seriously and do your best every time.
Also, don’t forget about communication skills! Umpiring can be a pretty thankless job at times (especially if you’re making calls people disagree with), so being able to talk calmly and clearly with players/coaches/fans is really important too.
And lastly…have fun! Despite all the pressure that comes along with making accurate calls during close plays, this can still be a really fun job/hobby/vocation/whatever you want to call it. So enjoy yourself out there!