I had a similar HBP tonight. I'm not sure if I did the right thing. Please advise...
JV game. Very good pitcher throwing for the visitors. Strong non-stop wind blowing across the diamond (from 3rd to 1st) the whole game. This kid had a ball that was moving a foot right to left. I'm sure the wind was playing a role, too. Anyway, the RH batter was fooled on two straight pitches that looked to be way inside and ended up near the center on the plate. 0-2 count. The next pitch starts off looking like the same pitch, only this time it doesn't break. It catches a piece the batter's jersey. No movement by the batter. No attempt at all to get out of the way. I signal dead ball. Go to first base.
The catcher (very quietly & respectfully) mentions that the batter never attempted to get out of the way. I agree with him, but I mentioned that it looked a lot like the previous two pitches that had the batter fooled out of his socks. The catcher sort of chuckled & agreed. I believe the batter didn't move because he (legitimately) figured the ball would.
At the end of the inning, my partner made a comment about the kid not moving. I told him the same story. He wasn't so sure. What do you guys think?
|