What is the role of the coach when requesting time-outs?

• A. To request time for strategy, injury, or equipment checks; the umpire grants or denies.
• B. To decide the next pitch sequence secretly.
• C. To signal safe or out.
• D. To decide substitution rules.

Answer: (B)

When a pause in play is needed, the coach initiates a time-out by requesting it. The official in charge then decides to grant or deny that request. This setup keeps the game’s pace under the umpire’s control and ensures that stops happen only with official approval. Coaches use time-outs to discuss strategy, address an injury, or check equipment. The next pitch sequence isn’t decided by the coach in isolation; it’s determined by the pitcher and catcher through the chosen signs. Signaling safe or out is the umpire’s call, not the coach’s. Substitution rules are handled through the manager’s request and the umpire’s administration, not through the act of calling a time-out.