Let me set the stage for you. HS Varsity game, Bottom of 6th 1 out runner at first with score 3-1 and the visitor leading. 3-0 count. Pitch comes in and I call strike. Batter takes off to first thinking ball 4 and then retracts back meanwhile the runner at first just jogs to second. In seeing the batter return the runner at 2nd starts walking back to first and gets tagged out. The coach comes up to me and says what do you have. I said no one called time out and no one sent him back. His response "this is on you and this is your last time to umpire here. That was ball four" I said It was in the zone, which came with his response that "it was only in your zone and its not an automatic strike. " As he walked back to third. Its funny how their player makes a bonehead mistake and its our fault. Its a good thing I love officiating. Things like that tend to make you question why we even go out there.
