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You guys are giving examples of the situation Ozzy agrees with - that if a ball hits a stationary bat the play remains alive. He does not argue that point. Rather, he argues the other half of 6.05(h) - he believes if a moving bat hits a batted ball in fair territory, the ball is still live and the batter runner is not out. His position is contradicted by plain old black letter rule:
6.05(h) A batter is out when 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.
and this caseplay in the JEA:
One out...runner on second base. The batter bunts the ball in front of home plate. The batter drops his bat and it accidentally hits the ball. The catcher fields the ball and retires the runner advancing to third. The batter is safe at first. What's your ruling?
RULING: The runner returns to second. The batter is out. The ball becomes dead immediately when a thrown
bat hits a fair ball a second time.
More black-letter rule:
7.09(b) It is interference by a batter or a runner when 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.
This play from the JEA:
Situations: One out...runners on first and second. The batter bunts the ball in fair territory. He throws the bat down and it touches the bunted ball a second time; however, the catcher is able to field the ball. He throws to second to retire the runner from first. ..and...the relay to first beats the batter-runner.
RULING: The ball is declared dead the moment the bat strikes the ball the second time. The batter is out and all
runners return. No double play.
and this one:
One out...runner on second base. The batter bunts the ball in front of home plate. He drops the bat and it strikes the ball in fair territory. The catcher fields the ball and retires the runner attempting to reach third. Does this play stand?
RULING: When the bat struck the ball the second time...the ball became dead and the batter is declared out. The
runner must return to second.
The previously cited MLBUM ruling.
This statement in the PBUC Manual:
4.16 BATTED BALL STRIKES HELMET OR BAT
If after hitting or bunting a fair ball, the batter's bat hits the ball a second time in fair territory, the batter is out and the ball is dead.
and finally, this Jaksa/Roder citation:
It is interference by a batter-runner if:
(iii) his bat strikes his batted ball a second time over fair territory.
However, it is not interference if;
(a) his batted ball bounces and immediately comes up and hits the bat a second time while the batter is still in the batter's box (foul ball), or
(b) his bat is lying stationary on fair territory and his batted ball rolls up against it, or
(c) his broken bat strikes his batted ball, or hinders a fielder.
Perhaps one or more of these citations will persuade Ozzy that if a batter's moving bat hits a ball in fair territory a second time, the batter is out and there is no requirement that the interference be intentional.
Perhaps not.
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