Officials' Quarterly

[SanDiegoSteve]

While I realize that Jaska/Roder and a buck can get you a steaming hot mug of jack squat, here is what J/R has to say about intentionally getting hit by a pitch (emphasis added):

"(1) The batter is hit-by-pitch (HBP).
A batter is awarded first base when a pitch touches his person unless;
(a) it is a strike (swinging or in the strike zone), or
(b) he intentionally tried to be touched by the pitch.

Regardless, the ball is dead. If the batter is awarded first base, sequential runners are also awarded their advance base; other runners (and any runners if there is no award) return to their time-of-pitch base.

e.g. A batter is crouched near the plate and rolls his shoulder into a curve ball, attempting to be HBP. The ball is dead, but he is not awarded first. If the pitch was (or would have been) a strike, it is called as such."

It seems as though they are leaving room for a pitch which had not yet entered the zone, but "would have been" a strike had it not been interfered with. That's what I see here, but your milage may vary.