Incorrect Count

Question
Here's the situation:

Our pitcher requested the count from the umpire, who then put up his fingers and stated aloud that the count was 2-2.  The batter questioned the count, as he thought there were 3 balls, but he let it slide.  The next pitch is thrown for a ball, and the umpire calls ball 3, but the batter insisted to state that it was ball 4.  The umpire eventually awards the batter first base.  Assuming that the umpire did incorrectly provide the wrong count to our pitcher, did he take the appropriate action?  If not, what should the umpire have done?  We felt he misled our pitcher, as he threw a pitch he normally wouldn't have thrown with 3 balls.

Would we have been able to protest the game in this situation?  We kept being told that we could not protest balls & strikes.

Answer
Hi Eugene,

Actually I had this exact situation happen a few years ago in a state tournie.  One of my best umpires (an "elite" umpire)did the same thing.

No appeal can be made after a pitch, legal or illegal.  The count was said to be 2-2 (even though it was 3-2, it must be sorted out before the next pitch or....) as soon as the pitch was thrown, that's what it was, and with a ball it is now 3-2.

This is one pitch out of a hundred in a game and 1 base and would seem to be a very minor thing to appeal but if you wanted to....

You cannot appeal the judgment calls of balls and strikes but that's not what this was.  This would be a protest as a mis-application of the playing rules that an appeal of the count was allowed after a pitch.  And you would have to make it after the batter is awarded 1st base and BEFORE the next pitch, legal or illegal.

Mark