Hit By Pitch Question

This is a judgment call, right? At least in high school rules the batter has to make an attempt to avoid. In college it is different - any ball out of the zone that strikes the batter is a HBP.

I always taught precisely what you describe - turn your back to the pitch, so if it hits you it won't hit anything angular and bony.

The problem I have seen is when the act of turning the back to the pitch makes the batter's shoulders moved closer to the plate. If he gets hit high in the back, I've seen umpires not give the HBP because he thinks the ball would have missed him had he not turned into it.

So it is a judgment call, I think. Usually it goes the batter's way, but occasionally the umpire sees the move as not a way to avoid the ball, but as a way to get hit by it.

This is strictly an umpires judgement call. I think the key is "slow breaking" ball, and in the umps judgement, he did not make an attempt to get out of the way.

Most umps do not have the #*@@% to make the call and usually award the batter first base.

On the other hand you do not want your batters bailing to earily, because this could distort the stike zone and the chances are the ump will call it a strike if it is close.

Good post, PF.

OK...but my question is...what constitutes an attempt? I understand the "judgement call" and I know it is in every umpires judgement but I am asking what is your definition of an attempt.

I mean, this kid is 13. He turned away from the pitch. The ball hit him in the hamstring. BTW, he is a RHH and the breaking ball came from a LHP. The ball almost broke behind him.

It worked in our favor as the hitter then laced a 2B to RCF but it screws up our teaching them the right way to avoid a pitch.

If you are talking about what constitutes an attempt...its kind of like the supreme court justice that was asked what was obscenity...he said its hard to describe but I know it when I see it.

If we were talking higher level baseball...HS varsity -college, you have tapped into the exact area why I am known to pretty much liberally award a HBP.

The players I have kept at the plate for failure to avoid are the ones who deliberately move or dip into a pitch to draw the HBP.

Players are taught to stay in there... especially on curve balls until the ball breaks, and if the ball does not break there is usually precious little time to avoid the pitch.....I have seen players jellylegged by curves and downright frozen on fast balls....that even a flinch is enough for me to rule an attempt was made to avoid contact....

we know who the ones are that need to stay....the dipping elbow, the full turned back that extends into the strike zone...or the knee extended to catch a pitch....they stay .....

Judging intent is what i get paid for......

just my .02

RB5, surely you don't teach a kid to just turn his back to the ball if the ball is headed toward his thigh?

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
RB5, surely you don't teach a kid to just turn his back to the ball if the ball is headed toward his thigh?

Nope...he better stand his ground on a breaking ball.