Strike or HBP?

[mcrowder]

No.

Initial poster says the ball was judged to be an inside strike (i.e. over the plate). If a player is hit by a pitch that would have been a strike, it's a dead-ball strike.

Now - initial poster may be making an assumption. If the umpire did not actually state that the ball would have been a strike had it not hit the batter, and also judged (as stated) that the batter was pulling the bat back, and thus NOT attempting to hit the ball --- then you have HBP and award first.

In the first instance, therefore, this is a dead-ball strike, while in the second, it's an award of first base.