|
First and foremost, a batter has the right to swing at a pitch and try to hit it. Whether he was doing so to protect the runner or not is immaterial - the pitchout was thrown poorly enough that the hitter had a legitimate chance to hit it. The swing appears to be at the ball, and the batter appears to be looking at the ball. I see absolutely no grounds for BI here. If the batter was looking at the glove or the catcher when swinging, perhaps we have a different case. But if the pitcher can't throw a pitchout far enough away to make it unhittable, I can't see protecting his catcher when the batter does swing at it. I have clear, and blatant, CI on this play.
__________________
"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
|