I have a bit of a complicated question that maybe some people here might be able to help me with.

Here is the root question:

What's the most pitches a batter can take without swinging the bat in a single at bat?

I believe the answer is 6. Either 2 balls and 3 strikes, or 3 balls and 2 strikes with the 6th pitch being a strike, a ball, a passed ball or a hit batter.

Now here is where the technicalities come in...

A batter is at bat (2-2 pitch count) with a runner on base and 2 outs. The baserunner is then caught stealing to end the inning. The batter that was up when the baserunner was caught stealing was pitched a third ball to make a 3-2 pitch count. That batter will then come up again next inning and bat since his at bat was not completed. But my question is, is the pitch count from the last inning in any way recorded or on record or is that pitch count considered null and void as if it never happened?

The is no count on the batter when he returns the next inning. There are no pitch counts for batters, just balls and strikes.

I think the official scorekeeper may have a record of the count in the previous inning, when the inning ended, but, really what difference does it make? Except for pitch count it does not mean much.

I think the poster may have thought that the batter assumed the previous count when he batted next inning so he wanted to know who tracked it.

No, actually I was trying to find the answer to the question I asked:

What's the most pitches a batter can take without swinging the bat in a single at bat?

LOL!!

I think the other umps here are thinking too much.

Basically, what he is asking is this:

Does the AB count as an AB, or is it tossed out when he comes to the plate again to start the new inning? We all know that he gets a fresh count, but what comes of the record of his last AB?

-Craig

<b> What's the most pitches a batter can take without swinging the bat in a single at bat?

I believe the answer is 6. Either 2 balls and 3 strikes, or 3 balls and 2 strikes with the 6th pitch being a strike, a ball, a passed ball or a hit batter </b>

I believe his question was pretty clear. What is the maximum pitches any one batter can take without swinging the bat? With the senario listed, I get a count of <font color= red> 11 </font> pitches.

BR - 5 pitches (no swing)count 3-2
R1 steals and is thrown out to end inning
BR returns to bat with new count and can take 6 new pitches without swinging before he either reaches 1st or is put out.

Here is a different twist.

Runner on second, two outs. 3-2 pitch to the B2 is called ball four. Runner from second is stealing third on the pitch. Runner is thrown out at third for the third out. Who leads off next inning?

Don't get it...how is this a "twist"? Batter completed his time at bat (OBR 6.04, 6.08a), so B3 leads off. B2 was LOB.

P-Sz

[Edited by Patrick Szalapski on May 11th, 2004 at 09:36 AM]

I know for a fact that it is not uncommon for teams to assume that B2 leads off the next inning. If that happens and it is appealed the umpire needs to remember that the AB ended and rule accordingly. Unfortunately, I've seen some umps blow this. The ruling is easy, it's remembering that is sometimes difficult.

"I believe the answer is 6. Either 2 balls and 3 strikes, or 3 balls and 2 strikes with the 6th pitch being a strike, a ball, a passed ball or a hit batter."

a passed ball is either a strike or a ball.

After the count is 2-3, he does not recieve a 6th pitch. He is either out or on first because the pitch was dropped.

Oops LOL, you're right, guess that should say 3 balls and 2 strikes with the 6th pitch being a strike, a ball, a passed ball or a hit batter.

I don't have any idea why this matters??

Does this have anything to do with umpiring? I wonder how?

sir_eldren hit the nail on the head:

"Does the AB count as an AB, or is it tossed out when he comes to the plate again to start the new inning? We all know that he gets a fresh count, but what comes of the record of his last AB?"

Still haven't heard anyone give an answer to this.

The official scorekeeper may have a record of the previous "non-at-bat" (ie ball-strike count) but it does not count statistically.

No one has addressed it because the rules don't cover it -- it doesn't affect the game or any recognized statistics.

you can probably get a number higher that 12 if you include balks, and a rained-out / replayed game where the batter in question is the lead-off batter.

It's pretty much gone--it is what it is. The rules don't give any thought to whether an at-bat can span innings, etc. I've always seen an incomplete plate appearance as no at-bat, kind of like when a third-inning rainout is "no game" (OBR 4.10)--but again, the rules don't really address this largely rhetorical issue.

For statistical purposes, in the previous innning, any pitches that were thrown count against the pitcher's pitch count, but nothing else would be recorded for the incomplete plate appearance.

P-Sz

You know, the batter could just stand there with the bat on his shoulder, and if the pitch hits it and rolls foul you have a foul ball. So he could stand there forever, without ever swinging the bat. He would just foul off every pitch that was thrown at him.

A foul ball is considered a swing whether the batter swung the bat or not.

"a rained-out / replayed game"

How exactly would this situation take place? It's not the same as a rain delay after which the batter gets back the same count?

It's hard to "hear" a printed word.

WE all know that there is only ONE at-bat per trip. If the third out is made on an attempted steal, pickoff, etc. the batter hasn't completed his turn at-bat.

Yes, the at bat is incomplete in mind as well but would the previous time at the plate still be considered part of the same at bat? It's a hard discussion LOL.

Lead off batter in the game takes 5 pitches. It starts to pour. Game called.

Later in the year, game starts over -- same leadoff batter.

Is this "one" at-bat?

There's no right or wrong answer -- it's all mental masturbation.

Not an AB. Does not count for any batter stats.