Quote:
Originally posted by SamNVa
Quote:
Originally posted by CecilOne
I was taught somewhere along the line that if you are not sure whether the pitch hit the bat or hand first, treat it as hitting the bat. Agree or disagree?
|
I totally disagree. Hands stick up at least 1/2" above the bat handle, so if I'm not sure which got hit first, I always assume it hit the hands first. Besides, it's better to award 1st to a player who is standing there shaking their hand than it is to call a foul ball on them (assuming they weren't swinging at the ball of course).
SamC
|
Sam has got this right. If the pitch is so poor that the batter is ducking to get out of the way... if there is opportunity to say the pitch hit the hands, do so and award 1st.
However if the pitch is close to the plate and the batter is swinging, call the appropriate deadball for hit batter, call the strike, and if it is the third strike, call the batter out (Yes, even if it hit the hands. If this would be the third strike, the batter is out.)
A foul ball is one that hits the bat first and then hits some other body part away from the hands. The only way a pitched ball can ricochet from the bat, move parallel to the bat, and then hit the hands is for the bat to be parallel to the flight of the ball.
If the batter is swinging, it is a strike. And if it hits the hands it is also a dead ball. If it hits the hands during a swing, it cannot be a foul ball.