Getting patched in baseball requires a commitment to become a fully accredited umpire. A person who decides he wants to get involved in baseball as an umpire in organized baseball must pass rulebook tests and demonstrate an ability to make decisive decisions on the baseball field. Typically, once an umpire is patched by his state association, he will be able to register and get placed on work schedules in various baseball leagues.
Learn the Rules
Every state baseball association has its own rules and policies. The rules of baseball are very similar at all levels and umpires who want to get patched will be tested on specific rules and how to apply them. You can learn this by reading the rule book and the case book. However, you will also want to familiarize yourself with state policies on how to dress when umpiring a game, what to say in the pregame meeting to the two managers and how to react in case of an injury. You will be tested on all aspects of the rules, including those that relate to your state's procedures.
Go to Clinics
At umpiring clinics that are held throughout the off-season, experienced professional umpires will teach classes on how to do your job professionally. They will present events that have happened while they were umpiring games, how they reacted and then talk about their thought process and why they acted as they did during the game. The umpires will go over rules that are widely known as well as obscure rules that come up only on rare occasions. It is important for all umpires to have a well-thought-out basis for making any decision on the field. Understanding previous cases will help an umpire earn his patch.
Making a Decision
The baseball rules authorize the umpire to make his decision on the field and make that decision clearly known to all competitors in a timely manner. The rules do not say the umpire must make his decision instantaneously. Use the time the rules give you to observe the play, process your information and make your decision. Some decisions are obvious, while others require some thought. If you react immediately to some decisions and take your time with others, managers, coaches and players will think you know what you are doing on some decisions but are just guessing on others. If you take about the same time for all your decisions, you won't be giving the participating teams the opportunity to think you don't know what you are doing.
Behavior
Baseball can be a confrontational game. When a patched umpire makes a decision on a close play, one team gets the result it wants and the other team does not. A manager, coach or player may come out to argue that decision. A patched umpire does not have to listen to a player and should immediately summon a coach to remove the player. A coach or manager can have his say. As an umpire, you should give him an opportunity to question your decision and the application of a rule. However, once he has had his say, the only thing you must address is the way the rule is applied. You do not have to explain why you called safe or out. End the argument by explaining your decision once and then sending the coach back to his dugout. If the coach is abusive in his language or behavior, you can and should eject him from the game.
Wearing the Patch
The umpire's patch is worn on the left breast pocket of the umpire's uniform. Most umpires wear a light blue knit shirt and heather gray slacks or short when they are umpiring. They wear a chest protector under the shirt, shin guards and a mask. The patch can be seen by players and coaches since the chest protector is underneath the shirt.
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