[greymule]

I think the only difference is whether outs made by the improper batter putting the ball in play stand.

True, and this applies only to runners, not the batter.

There may be another difference, depending on how Fed interprets "the time of the pitch": Bases loaded, no outs. Abel is the proper batter but Baker bats out of order. Ball 4 to Baker caroms off F2's shinguard and into the dugout. All runners move up a base, and Baker proceeds to 1B. The defense then appeals the BOO.

In OBR, Baker is out [edited to say: actually Abel is out, Baker bats again . . . duh!; see next post], but the runners are permitted the advance, not on the base on balls, but on the pitch that went into DBT. I don't know how Fed would treat this play, but in ASA softball any advance made on the last pitch to the batter is nullified, no matter how such advance came about. (In another difference, ASA softball also gives the defense any out made on the improper batter.)

Regardless, all codes I know would treat the Blue Jays–Mariners incident the same way.