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NFHS – Batter hit by pitch swinging – 3rd strike out?
I was selected to do our high school state tournament for the first time and in going over the Fed rules to make sure I’m up to speed on those pesky rule-set differences came across this potential issue.
Question: Does the batter, hit by pitch while swinging at the 3rd strike, need to hit the ball fair or foul to be called out? See the rule and penalty citations.
7.2.1
A strike is charged to the batter when:
g. a pitched ball contacts the batter while swinging at the ball or the batter is hit by the pitch that is in the strike zone (dead ball strike) [no mention of what happens on 3rd strike]
8.1.2. b.
Penalty 2. If the batter is hit anywhere on the body, including on the hands, while swinging at a pitch, and hits the ball fair or foul, the ball is dead and a strike called. If it is strike three, the batter is out.
I’ve always used the ASA rule for this – the batter does NOT need to contact the ball to be called out.
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