Quote:
Originally posted by CoachJM
John Sandlin,
Here are the relevant rules.
From Rule 2.0:
"A BALL is a pitch which does not enter the strike zone in flight and is not struck at by the batter. If the pitch touches the ground and bounces through the strike zone it is a "ball." If such a pitch touches the batter, he shall be awarded first base. If the batter swings at such a pitch after two strikes, the ball cannot be caught, for the purposes of Rule 6.05 (c) and 6.09 (b). If the batter hits such a pitch, the ensuing action shall be the same as if he hit the ball in flight.
From 6.05:
"A batter is out when_ ...(b) A third strike is legally caught by the catcher; "Legally caught" means in the catcher's glove before the ball touches the ground ..."
JM
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Which brings us to the often discussed...
Batter has two strikes
Pitched ball bounces
Batter swings and nicks the ball
Ball goes directly from being nicked by the bat into catcher's mitt and is caught
Most feel this is a caught third strike and the batter is out. Live ball and runners can advance... except for the batter.
How often does that happen - bad pitch, bad at-bat (bad, because he is swinging at a pitch in the dirt; but good, because he nicked the ball {foul ball}; but bad, because it went directly to the catcher's mitt {foul tip}), and the umpire is awake enough to positively see the foul tip and in-flight catch?
