Fout Tip K ?

[BSBAL18]

Every game you will probably see a batter swing with 2 strikes and foultip it directly into the catchers mit... Strikeout. However, my question is, batter ducks to get out of a ball thrown around his head, the bat stays up and the ball hits the bat and subsequently goes straight to catchers mit.

Does the rule state the batter *must attempt* or engage at the ball for the foul-tip strike 3? Or since it was technically a foultip, the result of the play is a strikeout?

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by BSBAL18

Does the rule state the batter *must attempt* or engage at the ball for the foul-tip strike 3? Or since it was technically a foultip, the result of the play is a strikeout?

No the rule does not say that and it isn't technically a foul tip, it is a foul tip.

2-16-2

ART. 2 . . . A foul tip is a batted ball that goes directly to the catcher's hands and is legally caught by the catcher. It is a strike and the ball is in play.

All that is required is that the bat hits the ball.

[ozzy6900]

Welpe gave you the rule.

As long as the batter is holding the bat, if the pitch strikes the bat, it is treated as a batted ball. So if the ball is deflected back to the field, we have a fair or foul ball, depending on where it settles or is caught. In a like manner, if the pitched ball hits the bat being held by the batter and goes directly to F2's glove and is caught, we have a foul tip. With 2 strikes, the batter is out.