Dropped 3rd Strike

[GarthB]

Originally posted by scyguy
what about a ball that hits dirt, batter swings and ball goes directly from bat to catcher's glove. Is this not a foul tip? Since ball was batted and went directly to the catcher, this is a strike. If third strike, batter out.

There is a difference of opinion here.

Evans says it can be caught for the the third strike, batter out. Roder, while admittig there is a conflicting view among active ML umpires as well as Evans, feels that it cannot be caught for the third strike.