[greymule]

Did some research on this and found some possible "holes" in ASA's definitions and wordings.

First, the definition of a foul tip: "A batted ball that goes directly from the bat, not higher than the batter's head, to the catcher's hand(s) or glove and is legally caught by the catcher."

So a foul tip must meet three conditions. Notice that they were careful to add the "s" to "hands" so that no one could argue that the catcher caught it with both hands and not just one.

However, if a batter swings at a pitch over her head, nicks it slightly, and it goes directly into the glove of the catcher, who has raised her glove high to catch it, the ball has met only two of the conditions. Are we to call that an out? I've seen that one a thousand times and it's been a foul tip every time. Is that a "hole" the rules writers need to fill?

Case book play 1-58:

(FP Only) The batter, with a 1-ball, 1-strike count, bunts the ball in front of the plate. The catcher lunges and catches the ball before it touches the ground. The ball did not go higher than the batter['s] head, so the umpire rules this a foul tip and returns the batter to the batter's box with a 1-ball, 2-strike count.

Ruling: This is not a foul tip, for the ball did not go directly to the catcher's glove from the bat. Because the catcher went to the ball, this should be ruled a legal catch, similar to F3 or F5 making the catch.

OK. But why say "in front of the plate"? That's a fair ball that has nothing to do with a foul tip. (Why FP only? Or is that in there just to legalize the bunt?) Is the operative phrase "catcher went to the ball"? If so, then "not higher than the batter's head" is superfluous verbiage.

I've been using the height of the batter's head as the criterion. Baseball doesn't mention that, so why does softball? Can anyone give me an example of a play in which the height of the batter's head is the determining element? Any ball going higher than the batter's head would have to be a ball the catcher "goes to," except for the obvious play mentioned above.

I suspect that ASA might say that a foul ball perceptibly slowed and deflected to the side and caught by a lunging catcher--but not over the batter's head--would be a foul tip and not an out. However, I certainly couldn't prove that in court using their definition or case book example.

[Edited by greymule on Aug 5th, 2002 at 10:52 PM]