What is the role of the home-plate umpire in protests?

• A. To adjudicate protests or forward them to the designated governing body.
• B. To punish teams for protesting.
• C. To ignore protests and resume play.
• D. To decide protests on the field without outside input.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that the home-plate umpire handles protests by applying the rules on the field and, if the protest requires a higher authority, by forwarding it to the designated governing body for a final ruling. The umpire determines whether a protest is valid under the rules and then takes appropriate action, which can include suspending play and ensuring the protest is officially filed with the proper authority for a decision.

This isn’t about punishing teams for protesting, and protests aren’t simply ignored or decided completely on the field without outside input. Final resolutions, when needed, come from the appropriate governing body following the on-field ruling by the umpire.