Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
As IrishMafia alludes, many umpires want to think the batter-runner should be given greater latitude because the catcher didn't catch the strike. Many times that great drop ball or changeup falls short, just like a great slider or curve in baseball, and never was the catcher's "dropped" pitch. The fact is that the batter either took a third strike, or made the greater "miss" by chasing a ball either in the dirt or another unhittable pitch.
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When a change was proposed (ASA) to include intent on the BR's part it wasn't so much as protection from the defense's failure, but because the BR shouldn't necessarily be expected to be aware of and avoid a ball which may be out of his/her range of view, especially LHB. Precedent exists within the rules governing a deflected batted balls.
Unfortunately, the proposal came the same year ASA was attempting to purge the rules of the inclusion of "intent".