Written by Mahaley Wise | Photo by Maya Brichacek

 

Catchers and umpires share one of the most complex – and often tense – relationships in all of sports. Their dynamic is built on constant proximity, subtle manipulation of the strike zone, and the immense pressure on each of them to do their jobs. The interaction between them often includes pushing boundaries, strategic language, and moments of tension. With every pitch, there’s potential for disagreement, miscommunication, or frustration. It’s a working relationship that can easily veer into toxicity if mutual respect and admiration falters.

 

Yet, beneath that friction lies a deep foundation of trust and unspoken camaraderie. With pitches flying in at rapid speeds toward the plate, often with unpredictable movement, umpires rely on catchers for physical protection – shielding them from foul tips, wild pitches, and the occasional errant swing. In return, umpires watch over catchers, making sure they’re okay after a hard hit, foul ball to the mask, or awkward play at home. They share a physical space, a rhythm, and the same risks. Over the course of a game, they develop a quiet partnership built on shared bumps and bruises, mutual care, and a battlefield respect that few others across sports can truly understand.

 

Cropdusters catcher Carter Richey explains the importance of taking steps to build a strong working relationship with an umpire. 

 

“Making it a relationship, get to know his name, shake his hand, making sure the ball is not touching him,” Richey said. “If the ball is in the dirt, blocking it, making sure you are protecting him, and continuing to talk during the game. It's not always about the game; sometimes, he will ask you questions about where you are from, where you went to school, stuff like that. When you make it personable, it makes it a bit easier on you to ask where the balls are and just work it, make it a game of its own.” 

 

Umpire Carl Remalia emphasizes the need for an open form of communication between catchers and umpires. 

 

“A lot of the time we will let them know if a pitch is close, ‘hey, this was outside, inside, up.’ We will give them that information so they know that this is where our zone is at and this is where we need to get it to. Maintaining that information between a catcher and an umpire is very important to maintain the fluidity of the game.”

 

Despite this friendly dynamic between both parties, it can become difficult to maintain clear boundaries. In almost every game, a catcher feels the need to challenge an umpire’s call. Blame it on the one thing we can never deny, the human condition. Since an umpire is human and not a machine, he can’t be flawless. Yet,  a catcher can’t be totally impartial either – he has an instinctual need to support his pitcher and team.

 

“We all make mistakes, and it's probably a little more exemplified when they make a mistake because they are supposed to be perfect, and none of us are perfect,” Richey says. “So it's really just asking them, ‘Hey, where did you have it? Is there any way I can present that better to you?’ Just keeping it casual. If you are always barking at them, then that is where you start to lose calls instead of game calls.”

 

Retaining composure is crucial. Since the introduction of the first professional umpire in 1876, both sides have had to learn how to collaborate effectively within the high-pressure environment of the game. Both sides ask something from the other. Catchers ask for consistency, accuracy, and fairness, while umpires ask catchers to remain calm, be polite, and fall in line. Umpires hold most of the power in the working relationship, with the final say on calls.

 

Over the past century, umpires and catchers have developed a set of unspoken rules to keep their working relationship running smoothly.  

 

A catcher controls the ball, and he must know how to manage it as the game centers around it. It is his responsibility to throw it back to the pitcher. If he holds on to it for too long or even tries to challenge the umpire with the ball still in hand, it creates a tense situation with all eyes falling on him. 

 

Another important factor is eye contact and body direction. During play, an umpire and catcher both face the pitcher, with the umpire standing firmly behind the catcher. However, a catcher can upset this natural order if he stands up to face the umpire, a clear challenge to the umpire’s authority.

 

Richey states: “One of the biggest unspoken rules is you never want to turn around and face him when you are asking him a question about either where the ball was or if you thought it was a strike or a ball. Usually, you just face forward and try to build that relationship with the umpire.”

 

The umpire relies a lot on the catcher to maintain composure. Remalia states, “Depending on what they say, it really determines how you react and how loud they get. If it is normally quiet where it is just between us, you just try to talk to them and let them know, ‘Hey, we are not having that’, and just try to talk them down.”

 

These unspoken rules are made to protect the working relationship between the umpire and catcher, but more importantly, maintain the fairness and fluidity of the game. Without them, a normal night of baseball could quickly turn into a mess of heated emotions. 

 

With all this running through the back of the catcher’s mind, his focus turns to the pitcher. It’s his job to handle and control a variety of pitches, each with its unpredictability. While pitchers are often praised for having ‘the stuff,’ that same stuff can be difficult for an umpire to track. That’s where the catcher steps in, relaying crucial information to the umpire before a game so he can be better prepared to call the pitches that come in.

 

At the beginning of the game they will normally tell you what they throw,” Remalia says. “That’s why at the beginning of the game you will see an umpire get behind the catcher to see some of the warm up pitches to see how they move. So him letting us know exactly what pitches he throws, of course we don’t know [what’s coming] during the game, but it helps us adjust our eyes.”

 

Richey adds: “It's a hard job behind there, so pretty much the conversation is just talking to them, giving them the best visual to see the strike zone and give the best calls, and that's pretty much the biggest piece of it.”

 

Even after sharing insights about pitches to umpires, catchers sometimes still attempt to deceive them at the plate. They use subtle techniques to “frame” pitches, or manipulate how they catch the ball to get a favorable call. In doing this, they make small adjustments tailored to each umpire’s strike zone. To be effective, catchers have to be adaptable and strategic, learning how to work with a wide range of umpiring styles. 

 

Richey explains, “Some of the umpires will give a little more off the plate or low, and you can use that to your advantage as a catcher…whether that’s with two strikes a little bit further off the plate, maybe it’s more a ball that a hitter will take, but you can make it present well that he might call a strike. It's more just having a feel and understanding of the game.”

 

However, catchers must be subtle in their pitch framing. Remalia expresses a deep pet peeve of his when a catcher moves the ball too much around the plate. 

 

“When they try to pull the ball back in, especially if it is up or low or up high, it's kind of distracting, and no need, we know where the strike zone is,” Remalia says. “Some of them are very good at it, but a lot of the time it doesn't help them get a pitch or a call.”

 

Their relationship is even further complicated by the spectators in the stands. While the catcher and umpire share the same protective gear, their jerseys clearly set them apart in the fans' eyes. Dressed in blue or black, the umpire becomes a target to receive chirps from fans like, “Where was that Blue?” In contrast, the catcher’s team-colored jersey signals to the umpire where his loyalty lies. A subtle reminder of both danger and allegiance. 

 

When the fans get heated, they often direct their frustration at an umpire who they feel might be hindering their team's success. This tension can spark a subtle power struggle between the umpire and the catcher, especially if the catcher senses an opportunity to sway a call with the crowd’s support. 

 

Richey states, “You always always agree with them. A lot of umpires will ask you, ‘Hey, did I miss that? Maybe did I give too much off the plate there?’... In summer ball, some fans and teammates get chirpy with them, but it's really more to just calm them down and continue the game on and focus on their task and not people chirping at them or arguments and stuff like that.”

 

Remalia observes, “[We] just make sure to maintain our calmness as an umpire, not to get agitated or to allow outside distraction to distract us, so you just try to answer with a calm voice.”

 

A catcher, naturally, must play both sides of the plate during a game. When he steps up to bat, he holds a unique advantage of being finely attuned to an umpire’s strike zone. Even in this role, their working relationship remains a part of the game.

 

While an outfielder or shortstop at bat can question calls without fear, a catcher must do so while staying calm, not overstepping and risking the rapport they’ve built up. It’s important for the catchers to find a balance by recognizing a consistent strike zone both when batting and behind the plate, while asking questions fairly from both positions.

 

Richey says, “They definitely do see you differently…if you are keeping them safe and you are being a cool guy and talking to them he might give you a little more leniency on a strike call…when you are a catcher you see every pitch, so you know what he's calling a strike and what he's not calling a strike that day. If he's giving it off, if he's giving it up, so it kind of blends into your offensive approach about when you want to hunt something and when you want to do damage.”

 

By the end of the night, if none of these challenges have fractured the mutual respect between a catcher and an umpire, then it is safe to consider it a successful outing. In a game where every pitch and call can spark controversy, maintaining that respect can be crucial to a team’s success. It’s a finely tuned partnership of communication, understanding, and professionalism that keeps the game flowing smoothly. When a catcher and umpire manage to work through the tension and challenges together, it sets the stage for a fair contest and reminds everyone why baseball remains a game of strategy as much as skill.