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I'm not saying that NO ONE steps out of the box... but it is definitely true that MOST of the time, what appears to be out of the box is perfectly legal. One poster above posts that someone is stepping in FRONT of the plate. I cannot imagine being able to step in FRONT of the plate and still be heading toward first - seems you'd entirely lose the speed advantage gained by this hitting tactic if you were heading toward shortstop on the first step.
TIVO this and look at it frame by frame. You may find one or two that are actually out. Most aren't. Most of them, the first step is the left foot coming way forward in the box, but easily still in the box - the next step is the right, heading down the line from the planted left foot, but almost never is this foot actually down before contact is made (it's hard to reach a ball that's actually over the plate if you've already taken your 2nd step in the right direction.)
My Dad and I were watching these games and he had the same complaint - so we TIVO'd it and watched it frame by frame. We never found one that was actually out of the box AND touching the ground when the ball was hit.
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"Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Christy Mathewson
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