Could someone please give me a rule reference that I can use to show someone that THE HANDS ARE NOT PART OF THE BAT!!!!!!? I saw this called in a 9-10 year old game this evening. The batter pulled away from an inside pitch and was hit on the hand. Both umpires called a foul ball and gave the quote that always makes me cringe, "The hand is part of the bat." The league president went as far as explaining it to the parents by saying "the ARM is part of the bat." The very next half inning, a batter took a full swing at the pitch that hit him in the ribs. You guessed it. He was awarded first base. At one point, the umpire said, "It won't do any good to argue with me, because I know the rules." I do understand that this was just a game of young kids, but how can they be taught the game when the people calling the game have no idea what the rules are?
I would like both FED and OBR references.
Thanks
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