Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim C
Well, that is the rule.
FED even has it in the Case Book.
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I believe the original play considered college age athletes. Maybe they were goverened by Fed rules for this contest but most just spent the last year with the new half swing (not a checked swing) definition from the NCAA. Rule 2-18 states: a half swing shall be called a strike if the barrel head of the bat passes the batter's front hip. Previously, the rule stated "the front edge of home plate" but that neglected the batter's position in the box. The 2011 NCAA Baseball guide covered this on page 13.
The Major League Baseball rulebook doesn't contain an official definition for a checked swing; it is the decision of the umpire presiding. Here is what the Red Book states: "The umpire’s decision on a check swing shall be based entirely on his judgment as to whether or not the batter struck at the pitch."
In Jim Evans Umpire Mechanics Book:
Half-swing describes the batter’s action when he interrupts his attempt to hit a pitched ball. If the batter interrupts his swing after starting the forward motion of the bat but before committing to the pitch, the half-swing shall be adjudged a ball. If, in the judgment of the umpire, he went too far and committed to the pitch but missed, it shall be considered a swinging strike.
"Was it a swing?" varies from umpire to umpire and game to game.