Quote:
Originally posted by rwest
If you go by the letter of the law the FLEX is only an illegal batter if she bats in one of the first 9 positions in the batting order other than the DP. In this case she wasn't. She was batting 10th. Strictly by the rulebook, she is not an illegal batter. However, an illegal player is someone not entitled to that position in the lineup, either on offense or defense. So she is illegal. But an illegal what? Not an illegal batter. She's not an illegal runner or pitcher. Could we get her for an illegal substitute? No, she was playing the entire game. She didn't sub for anyone. Its not an illegal re-entry.
IMO, there's a hole in the rules and will probably be corrected next year.
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You are way overanlyzing this, IMO. Paragraphs 1-4 following 4-6-E give specific examples of illegal players. It does not claim to list all possible examples of an illegal player. Notice the EFFECT (except for #1) is not listed until after all of the examples. The ASA rule book never has tried to list all possible situations. Apply 10-1 if you must have a justification, but I would simply apply the EFFECT given.
Quote:
Originally posted by mcrowder
Any reason you can't treat this as an unannounced sub and a BOO?
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Yes, because the FLEX batting after the DP is, by definition of 4-6-E an illegal player, not an unannounced sub. An unannounced sub is legal for the substitution, just not announced.
The ruling made was wrong, that is clear.
What we would have is EFFECT a)-3), an illegal player who has completed a turn at bat and a pitch has been thrown. The illegal player is DQed and removed from the base. The illegal player may be replaced on the base if the team has an eligible sub. The advance of R2 stands. If there are no eligible subs for FLEX, then the shorthanded rule applies, and by 4-1-D-2-c, the illegal player is declared OUT.