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Originally Posted by ctblu40
Okay, Let me take you through what the rules say the process of "batting" is:
6.01(a) Each player of the offensive team shall bat in the order that his name appears in his team’s batting order.
6.02 The batter shall take his position in the batter’s box promptly when it is his time at bat.
6.03 The batter's legal position shall be with both feet within the batter's box.
6.04 A batter has legally completed his time at bat when he is put out or becomes a runner. (Which in the OP never legally happened)
6.07 BATTING OUT OF TURN.
(a) A batter shall be called out, on appeal, when he fails to bat in his proper turn, and another batter completes a time at bat in his place. (Which may or may not have happened in the OP because we don't know what the count was when the balk was called.)
And as for a legal unannounced substitute:
3.08(a) If no announcement of a substitution is made, the substitute shall be considered as having entered the game when --
(2) If a batter, he takes his place in the batter’s box;
(b) Any play made by, or on, any of the above mentioned unannounced substitutes shall be legal.
2. Although at bat mistakenly, he is following the order, after Able.
He is not legally following Able's at bat, according to the rules, he's finishing Able's at bat.
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Convoluted at best.
Only two things can happen. If the umpire allows Able to stay at first, Baker is batting in order. If the umpire wakes up and brings Able back, Baker isn't batting at all. It's really simple.
I could enter the fray and prolong this thread by arguing point for point. But why? As you said, you
"believe" this is a batting out of order sitiuation.
Again, read Carl's post, then Bob Jenkins'. They have it simple, neat and as correct as you will find absent a specific rule or ruling. There is no need to invent or invite further problems.