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Did anyone see last night's RedSox-Indians game? Last inning, 2nd and third. Casey Blake up against Papelbon with two strikes. Pap throws one up and in. Blake appears to check his swing and takes it off the hands and the ball goes to the backstop. The plate ump calls the ball dead for the HBP. Tito argues and asks for the 1st base ump to make the ruling, he calls strike three. Blake is out even though the ball clearly hit him, the ball is dead, and no one advances. Weird.
Creative Thought Matters
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PopTime,

Yes, I saw that play last night and am still not sure they made the right call. My understanding is the umpire called the batter out because he supposedly swung at the pitch and it was strike three. The ball clearly hit his hands. Even on replay, it was hard to tell if he did, in fact, swing at the pitch. This was very strange ideed.
Last edited by EaglesDad
6.05
A batter is out when --
(a) His fair or foul fly ball (other than a foul tip) is legally caught by a fielder;
Rule 6.05(a) Comment: A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch, and if he holds the ball, the catch shall be allowed. A fielder, in order to make a catch on a foul ball nearing a dugout or other out-of-play area (such as the stands), must have one or both feet on or over the playing surface (including the lip of the dugout) and neither foot on the ground inside the dugout or in any other out-of-play area. Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead. Status of runners shall be as described in Rule 7.04(c) Comment.
(b) A third strike is legally caught by the catcher;
Rule 6.05(b) Comment: “Legally caught” means in the catcher’s glove before the ball touches the ground. It is not legal if the ball lodges in his clothing or paraphernalia; or if it touches the umpire and is caught by the catcher on the rebound.
If a foul-tip first strikes the catcher’s glove and then goes on through and is caught by both hands against his body or protector, before the ball touches the ground, it is a strike, and if third strike, batter is out. If smothered against his body or protector, it is a catch provided the ball struck the catcher’s glove or hand first.
(c) A third strike is not caught by the catcher when first base is occupied before two are out;
(d) He bunts foul on third strike;
(e) An Infield Fly is declared;
(f) He attempts to hit a third strike and the ball touches him;
(g) His fair ball touches him before touching a fielder;
(h) After hitting or bunting a fair ball, his bat hits the ball a second time in fair territory. The ball is dead and no runners may advance. If the batter-runner drops his bat and the ball rolls against the bat in fair territory and, in the umpire’s judgment, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball, the ball is alive and in play;
Rule 6.05(h) Comment: If a bat breaks and part of it is in fair territory and is hit by a batted ball or part of it hits a runner or fielder, play shall continue and no interference be called. If batted ball hits part of broken bat in foul territory, it is a foul ball.
If a whole bat is thrown into fair territory and interferes with a defensive player attempting to make a play, interference shall be called, whether intentional or not.
In cases where the batting helmet is accidentally hit with a batted or thrown ball, the ball remains in play the same as if it has not hit the helmet.
If a batted ball strikes a batting helmet or any other object foreign to the natural ground while on foul territory, it is a foul ball and the ball is dead.
If, in the umpire’s judgment, there is intent on the part of a baserunner to interfere with a batted or thrown ball by dropping the helmet or throwing it at the ball, then the runner would be out, the ball dead and runners would return to last base legally touched.
(i) After hitting or bunting a foul ball, he intentionally deflects the course of the ball in any manner while running to first base. The ball is dead and no runners may advance;
(j) After a third strike or after he hits a fair ball, he or first base is tagged before he touches first base;
(k) In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire’s judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead; except that he may run outside (to the right of) the threefoot line or inside (to the left of) the foul line to avoid a fielder attempting to field a batted ball;
Rule 6.05(k) Comment: The lines marking the three-foot lane are a part of that lane and a batter- runner is required to have both feet within the three-foot lane or on the lines marking the lane. The batter-runner is permitted to exit the three-foot lane by means of a step, stride, reach or slide in the immediate vicinity of first base for the sole purpose of touching first base.
(l) An infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive, with first, first and second, first and third, or first, second and third base occupied before two are out. The ball is dead and runner or runners shall return to their original base or bases;
APPROVED RULING: In this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground, except when the Infield Fly rule applies.
(m)A preceding runner shall, in the umpire’s judgment, intentionally interfere with a fielder who is attempting to catch a thrown ball or to throw a ball in an attempt to complete any play:
Rule 6.05(m) Comment: The objective of this rule is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base. Obviously this is an umpire’s judgment play. (n) With two out, a runner on third base, and two strikes on the batter, the runner attempts to steal home base on a legal pitch and the ball touches the runner in the batter’s strike zone. The umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the batter is out and the run shall not count; before two are out, the umpire shall call “Strike Three,” the ball is dead, and the run counts.

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I found the above at: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/batter_6.jsp

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PIAA, is the highlighted case what you're talking about? I guess I was probably thinking of a ball that is HIT off the batter for example.
it was odd .. and several defense players nearby thought it was just a foul ball ...

if Blake hadn't insisted he'd been hit (thinking he'd get 1b) there was a fair chance that the discussion at home plate could have led to "foul ball" call, then no appeal would have been made to 1B ump on the swing

Roll Eyes
Last edited by Bee>
We had this issue come up in a Little League game. Except the batter was not swinging. You won't believe how many coaches were yelling that the "hands are part of the bat" and were not refuted.

One of the silly myths that seem to persist. I so wanted to call them out on that.

Ump made a bad call anyways, he claimed the ball hit bat first and then hands. An impossibility given how much the poor kid was crying and holding his hand. But ump's judgment and end of story.
quote:
by Z-d: Ump made a bad call anyways, he claimed the ball hit bat first and then hands. An impossibility given how much the poor kid was crying and holding his hand
exactly my point ... with Blake the ball MUST have hit the bat FIRST - then the hands ...

ie: foul ball!

like you noted, if it HAD hit his hands first .. Casey woulda been crying Frown Wink
Last edited by Bee>

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