[NDblue]

In the Sox/Angels game that this thread is referenced to, the HP was wrong in not calling "batter out". He signaled strike and then threw a hammer indicating the batter was out. The ball did not hit the dirt and if he had any feeling that it did, he should have asked for help from 1BU or 3BU because they had a better angle on the pitch. The catcher knew he caught the ball without it touching the ground after it touched his glove. If I remember my baseball rules correctly, it doesn't matter if the ball touched the ground prior to touching the catcher. This rule only applies if it hits any part of the catcher and "then" hits the ground. If it hits the ground and then into the catchers mitt, same thing as if he caught it to begin with. In this instance, it didn't matter since the ball never touched the ground until the catcher tossed the ball back to the mound.