Even though experts are saying that this ball four call did not change who ended up winning the game, there were important several things to note.
According to the current edition of Little League’s Rules, Regulations, and Policies shared by BroBible.com, if you’re looking at where the strike zone is in terms of what Ianne did, it’s named as “that space over home plate which is between the batter’s armpits and the top of the knees when the batter assumes a natural stance.” The umpire determines the strike according to a batter’s usual stance when they swing at a pitch.
What the umpire perhaps should have noted was being “aware of a batter who tries to give the impression of a small zone by squatting,” which is pretty much what Ianne did.
It’s also listed that “once the umpire determines the batter’s normal stance, he/she should call that strike zone no matter what the batter may do to alter his/her stance and zone.” BroBible.com explains that the umpire ended up calling the fourth ball on how Ianne stood in the box, not his natural stance, so, it was a “wrong” call.
Also, Ianne could have very well been called for “unsportsmanlike conduct” for yelling at the pitcher during the game. Seriously, what kind of precedent does this set for other kids watching? They might start to get the wrong idea about what kind of behavior or gameplay is standard protocol at their sports games.
Some folks online have some things to say about this kind of gameplay.
In a video shared on Facebook that shows Ianne Salcedo up to bat, people in the comments are sounding off with their stance on both what happened and what probably should have been called by the umpire.
One person shared, “Calling strikes on this kid. This actually falls under unsportsmanlike conduct on the batter, though it’s up to the umpire. A batter or batter’s teammates cannot do intentional acts, make loud noises, or disruptive actions against the pitcher.”
Another individual shared their thoughts by looking at the player’s rulebook. They wrote, “Strike zone doesn’t change when the batter ducks, or crouches as the pitch comes in; umpires should judge the zone based on the batter’s normal, natural athletic stance.”
One person couldn’t help themselves as they cracked a joke. They wrote, “Are you sure he doesn’t have to go to the bathroom ?? Looks like the pee-pee dance to me!!” Another individual blamed the coaching staff for what happened. “Pathetic….reflection of the coaching staff. Foolishness,” they commented.
