Automatic Strike?
 

Hoping i made the right call, was end of game so i high-tailed it outta there..

Bottom of last inning of championship game, home team down by 1.

2-2 count on Batter, 2 out, runner on 3rd.

F1 comes to set position, R3 takes off home, F1 steps TOWARDS HOME and delivers the ball, while the ball is en route, the batter bails out of the batters box because of the incoming runner.

I called strike 3 on batter because he was out of batters box on a legal pitch ( my judgement was the pitcher delivered a pitch even tho he CLEARLY was throwing home for a pickoff, but his feet and step position was that of a pitch). Mind you, 9u baseball. :-)

Since the batter was out of batters box, the pitch is automatic strike, regardless of where the pitch ends up, 3 outs, game over. R3 was *not* struck by the ball, as i do believe that can come into play as well.

Correct call?

Let me ask a question back to you, have you checked the rules of the league you were working (LL, Pony, etc) to see if there is such a provision?

Nope. It's not an automatic strike. It is only a strike if it hits the batter's strike zone.

Good grief. Batters are forced out of the box all the time by errant inside pitches. Ever seen one of those called an automatic strike?

BTW, good job on not calling a balk, even though I'll bet everybody on the offense was screaming for one. As described, you had a legal delivery.

It would be an automatic strike if he left the batter's box AND delayed the game. And 9U? Oy, not sure I'd call that a strike on the first offense even if it did delay the game. But in this case, it wasn't at all for the purpose of delaying the game. Quite the opposite, he was doing the defense a favor. I'm afraid you pulled a ruling out of a hat.

One should only try to apply stuff like this if they know the rules well enough to know that the situation involved violates the letter and spirit of the rule.

Didn't happen here.

Thanks for the replies. I believe after searching the rulebook i had misread (or didnt attach it to the actual reasoning) of the below...

NFHS
7-3.5B "stepping out of the batter's box".
Penalty: WIth two outs, the batter is out.



However that only applies to interfering with catchers throw or fielding, so I just screwed that up by thinking since the batter left the box without asking for time, and the pitcher delivered a legal pitch, that the batter gets the above penalty.

Guess i'll keep reading more and more, thanks again guys.

Indeed, the relevant section is 7-3-1, and that's about delaying the game. You have gained experience, in much the same way as we all have. :)