I'm going to begin a search through my various references for the answer, but in the meantime I'll pose the question here:

OBR

Batter runs up in an apparent attempt to slap hit. However, he lays off the pitch, and the pitch hits him while he is out of the batter's box. The pitch had no chance to become a strike, and you believe the batter did not intentionally allow the ball to hit him.

According to the literal language of the book, the batter would be awarded 1B, but I'm wondering whether anyone knows different.

I'm not really sure how this situation could possibly happen given your description, but rule 6.02 states:

"c) If the batter refuses to take his position in the batter's box during his time at bat, the umpire shall order the pitcher to pitch, and shall call "Strike" on each such pitch."

Seems to me that if you aren't in the box it is similar to leaning into the strike zone. Even if it hits you it is still a strike, and no bases will be awarded. Note that the umpire needs to tell the batter to enter the box before this situation can happen. No "slap" hitting in baseball, this isn't happy gilmore.

MLBUM does not address this, and this is all J/R says for exceptions of a first base award:

"(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."

So, according to this, he still gets first base.

I'll keep looking, but this may be a loophole.

Alex,

The batter did not refuse to take his position in this case. He was already legally in the box prior to the pitch, so 6.02 does not apply here.

We have already determined that you cannot call a pitch that isn't a strike a strike.

Slap hitting has always been a part of baseball. Come on now.

Here, the JEA states that if the batter is in a legal batting position, he gets first base. According to this logic, the batter does not get the award.

Situations: The batter is standing in the batter's box and a pitched ball grazes the sleeve of his undershirt but not his arm. Does this entitle him to first base?
RULING: Yes. If he or his clothing is touched while in a legal batting position, he is awarded first base.

I'm not claiming any justification for calling a strike. My instinct would be to call hit by pitch unless it appeared that the batter's being out of the box caused the contact. In other words, if the batter runs up and has a foot completely over the line when he's drilled by fastball that would have hit him anyway, that's HBP. If both feet are in front of the box and he sort of runs into a change-up, well, maybe not. But what about something in between? Intentionally leaving the box, not to avoid a pitch but for another reason--maybe this is pure HTBT.

Yet now we have "legal batting position" to deal with. I'm surprised that I can't remember ever having had to deal with this.

The issue arose originally in ASA FP softball--just a question from a spectator--but nobody's quite sure of the ruling. While we're waiting for a definitive answer, I figured I'd consider the parallel with OBR. Apparently in NCAA softball, it's a dead ball, no pitch. (Hey--a do-over!)

Didn't we just beat the heck out of this one recently?

Offbeat answer:

The pitcher threw a pitch which did not cross the plate or reach the foul lines. Balk.

However, the batter is not allowed to, through his actions, cause a balk. So instead of a balk, you have a no-pitch.

:)

mc, I don't like the call of no pitch here. I certainly agree that we can't award batter 1B if he's out of the box when hit by the pitch, and the JEA language of "legal batting position" makes sense to me. I can sell that to a coach.

Further, I can't see even rewarding the offense with a no-pitch here: if the batter HAD made contact with the ball when clearly out of the box, he would have been out (though if I'm PU I probably don't see that he's out of the box - but we're trying to get the right call by the rules here).

Still, how do you call a pitch that never reaches the plate? I'd like to say I'd call it according to what it would have been had it reached the plate, but I'm thinking that jenkins will start posting "rule reference please" again... and I don't have one...

So, where does that leave us? No pitch? I've got no rule reference for that, either...

I guess the one smileyface wasn't enough.

No, I wasn't serious... although since this is TECHNICALLY not addressed in the book, I suppose it's as good as any other solution.

In reality, I'm calling this a strike. It was going to be a strike had the batter not interrupted the ball's flight prematurely (and not with the bat). No sense rewarding this action, whether intentional or not. If I have to invoke 9.01c, so be it.

<b>It was going to be a strike had the batter not interrupted the ball's flight prematurely</b>

Note that the troublemaker who started this thread specified that "the pitch had no chance to become a strike."

Even if you meant simply that you would make that claim to resolve the situation, I can imagine some pitches on which that might be difficult to get away with.

E.g. Ball bounces before it hits the batter.

-LilLeaguer

Sorry Grey - I thought that you meant that the actions of the batter caused the pitch to not have a chance to become a strike (ie it was blocked before reaching the plate).

If the pitch was going to be a ball, I have a simple HBP. If it was going to be a strike, I have a DB Strike. Sorry if I misunderstood.

I agree. No rules references requested. ;)

I am having trouble figuring out where the batter was when the ball hit him ?

Where were his feet, and his body ?

You say he started out legally in the Batter’s Box. This attempt to Slap the ball, could it have been considered an attempt at the ball ? If so, you have a Strike ? This might be no different than a batter squaring to bunt, then moving his entire body and bat towards the ball, rather than just the bat...Yes He Went !

I am asking about the original question, and not any other possibilities.

Nick,

greymule said the batter was hit with the ball while out of the batter's box. He also said the batter did not go.

[Edited by SanDiegoSteve on Mar 17th, 2006 at 03:02 PM]