Hit by Pitch

You have a dead ball for the hit by pitch.

You have a strike on the swing.

Not sure it makes any difference, but where is the pitch located (strike zone versus batters box)?

Strike and a dead ball.

Thank you.  that was my instinct, but then I 2nd guessed my self,

What if he goes around on a check swing after realizing the ball is headed right at him?  Is it always a strike/dead ball if he swings?

Mostly, it's an umps call as to whether he was attempting to hit the ball. An actual check swing - no. As long as he wasn't "letting" it hit him, you've got a HBP. Sometimes, the bat can even make a "swing" that is the product of the batter trying to avoid the pitch. In this case, if the umpire determines it wasn't an attempt to hit the pitch, he should call HBP and give the B/R first.

What if the ball is a strike, but because the batter is close to the plate with his arms out over the plate the ball hits him? This has happened twice to my son this year.

It's a strike. Here is the MLB rule (I assume that it is similar under high school rules):

"6.08
The batter . . . is entitled to first base . . . when --
*            *             *             *
(b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (1) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball;
If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched."

When I coached 16u one of my players squared to bunt. The pitch came right at his midsection. In his startled attempt to get out of the way his arms and the bat went forward. Strike one. He got drilled in the balls and didn't get to take his base.

He finally got to his feet to continue the at bat. One of his sympathetic teammates (sarcasm) yelled, "Don't rub it. At least not in public." As a coach sometimes you want to reprimand a player. Other times you turn your head and cover your laugh so the players can't see you.

Don't get in trouble with this play, As the plate umpire don't even give the thought that the batter didn't make an effort to get out of the way. If the pitch hits the batter ,unless the batters movement initiates the contact with the ball,call time and send him to first. The notion that the batter has to make an attempt to get out of the way on and inside fastball or a curve that may be freezing him,is ridiculous.

Depends.

Depends on what? 

You see this a lot when the kids start throwing curves.  A lot of players bail only to have the pitch called a strike.  Good coaches teach their players to stand in there and hope the ball actually breaks.  If it doesn't, then a quick turn so you take it the hit in the meat. 

Depends on what actually happens. You'll see this at higher levels--"oops, I got hit." With experience, you can tell someone staying in on the pitch as opposed to someone allowing himself to get hit, which with the NCAA rule change, isn't nearly as allowable as before. 

When I was a coach, I would teach the kids on 3-0 counts - crowd the plate as much as allowed... get feet as close and lean over.  Then as the pitch was on the way in, lean back out of the strike zone.  Never wanted a kid to wear one on my instruction.  Some kids were skittish and didn't get as close as others... some made a game out of it to see who could get the closest.  I would tell the PU before the game that stradegy so he/she was aware - and that my players understood if they get hit with a strike, then no base on HBP.   Up through the low HS levels, nearly all pitchers choked and threw ball 4. I think this was a preferable alternative to the square and wave the bat that so many kids do. 

With all due respect why didn't you teach them to get into the box like normal and look for a pitch to drive or lay off a pitch out of the zone?  You should have helped teach them to be a hitter versus some trick that will only work at that level.

What if the "fastball" is travelling at such a slow rate of speed that it's obvious that the batter would rather be hit than have to attempt to swing at (another) slow pitch?  I had a JV game the other day where the pitcher's fastball was at most 55MPH - like watching paint dry as the ball game in.  I had a batter decide that because the pitch was a bit inside he wouldn't move, so I decided no way he's going to 1B just because of that. Every other batter *wanted* to hit against this and got away from those pitches. As a plate umpire you have to think about effort and the batter's intention(s) just as much as you have to think about the pitcher's intention(s); otherwise, games can and will get away from you really quick.

with regards to plate crowding or waving the bunt - both IMO are bush league plays reserved for the lower levels...  You do that in upper levels and a "good pitcher" will take care of it. Baseball etiquette has a strange way of handling karma.

I always wondered about those.  My son is a big power hitter.  Most pitchers try to come inside on him and he tends to get hit almost once per weekend.  He was taught by his batting coach to stand his ground and not move back.  He sees moving back as a sign of weakness.  Now, my son really does prefer a hit over a walk.  He usually leads his team in slugging percentage and home runs.  But he also knows the importance of a base runner.  For high school ball, does a batter need to try and get out of the way?  I am not talking about crowding the plate or leaning in.  I am talking about a pitch that hits squarely on the upper arm while the batter is his normal batting stance. I have seen a few where I know my son could have leaned back, but he did not.  I am not sure if he should.    -Just a dad trying to learn.

I hope we're on the same page, so here's what I would say...

Generally, he's going to get the base. I'm not looking to keep guys in the box when the pitcher makes a mistake. If he does anything that gives the appearance that he's trying to not get hit intentionally, he's getting the benefit of the doubt. Where I don't give the base, it's guys that relax and give the appearance that they know it's going to happen and they aren't going to do anything about it (and the ones, obviously, that throw themselves into the pitch.)

Thanks Matt13,

Generally, my son does get the base.  Occasionally he will be told he did not try to get out of the way.  (Maybe every 10th hbp)  Like I said, I am always trying to learn on this site.

The key is the intent of either pitcher or batter and the judgement of the umpire. That one I had the other day the ball would have hit the batter in the hip if he didn't move at all, but he had the time necessary to decide where on his body he chose to "wear it". I had the time to watch him... He could have chosen to take a few steps back and then start looking for his next sign. Put it this way, if there was a chipmunk scampering between the pitchers mound and home plate and it left the same time the ball left the pitchers hand - the chipmunk may have won the race between the two objects ;-)

I do know in the last few years there's been quite a few tweaks to the HBP interpretation for HS baseball - all dealing with judgement. I remember watching a state final a few years back where a batter was called back to the box after allegedly not moving on a curveball - perhaps cost that team a championship (a b7, bases loaded, 1 run game type infraction). The very next year a new interpretation of getting out of the way was described at the annual meeting. One involving making a call based on experience and judgement.

You hit the nail on the head John. Going the way of the individual umpies judgement is always the best way to rule on anything.Without seeing the play with my own eyes I would and should never make a judgement on a hit by a pitch situation. Just know that 9 out of 10 times you will never hear a word when you send the batter to first when he is hit. If you say he did not make an attempt your always going to have an argument and most times a major one. Which option is better?

Mote that the HS rule and the OBR rule are subtly different. 

In HS, the batter must not "permit the pitched ball to hit him."  That means, if the batter had time to move out of the way, but chooses not to, he's staying.  Or, conversely, if he was going to get hit anyway, he needn't try to avoid; he's going to first.

In OBR, the batter must make an attempt to avoid.

And, it is all judgment -- and my judgment as umpire might not match your judgment as coach or parent.

No recent changes to HS or OBR; a significant change to NCAA this year.

If the batter is hit by the pitched ball.  Then the ball is ALWAYS dead under 5.1.1

It is umpire's judgement whether the batter allowed the pitched ball to strike him or not or whether the pitch is a strike or not under 7.3.4.

However, most of the time you're gonna send that batter to 1st.

Most of the time, but NOT always.  Use your best judgement and make the RIGHT call every time.  Remember some of these coaches are trying to teach your kid to be a better ball player and some of these coaches are just trying to win at any cost.  Be aware of what kind of coach you have.  That will go a long way to you're getting it right