Quote:
Originally Posted by youngump
Yes, it does. MD disagrees with Mike and Steve. His position is that you cannot make a substitution for a player unless that player is going to play in the game at that moment. I couldn't quite explain to you why he thinks it's this way.
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Here's the part I believe MD and Manny A are missing.
All 9 (or 10) players in the lineup on both teams
are playing in the game at all times; from start (lineup accepted at pregame conference) to finish (game ends by rule). Offensive players listed in the lineup, but not currently batting or running, are still
in the game, whether in the on-deck circle, sitting on the bench, or even possibly warming up in the bullpen; and can be replaced by a legal substitute, at any time.
This is true and cited earlier in ASA, NFHS, and NCAA Softball. In fact, I am not familiar with any version of softball that doesn't believe that to be true.
I also doubt that baseball actually has any rules that clearly state an offensive player not currently batting or running cannot be substituted. I would expect they all have language indicating substitutes are in the game when reported/recorded/accepted. I strongly suspect that misguided direction has convinced umpires that what we have discussed in this thread is a "projected" substitution; but if you consider what I stated above, that
ALL current players on both teams are in the game, then you have to see that replacing one on either team isn't projected, it is happening when reported/recorded/accepted (whatever specific language indicated.
And, again, to my knowledge, the only rules (especially softball, but again, almost assuredly baseball) that make a substitute "officially" in the game
only if they take a position or action in live play (be it defensive position, throwing a pitch, a pitch being thrown, etc.) are those describing when an unreported or illegal substitute are in the game, for the sole purpose of describing when those actions are appealable or correctable.