Intentional Walk

[blueump]

Here was a new one...couldn't believe my eyes!

FED ball - start of a new inning. Batter steps into the box. Takes ball one. I hear some rumbling from the players in his dugout. As he steps into the box for the second pitch some of the players are now yelling to him to "step out of the box".

Before the pitcher gets a chance to throw the second pitch, the other coach requests that the batter be intentionally walked. I point to first base, he drops his bat and trots to first, amid the now louder yells from his dugout, not to go. He pauses, and seems confused, but goes down to first anyway.

Once he gets there, the coach who requested the walk comes out and points out that he is the wrong batter - one slot too early. He's called out, and then returns to the box for his correct at bat!

[mbyron]

Now that's using your head.

[LMan]

deleted post

[mcrowder]

Don't do much FED, but if you are using the automatic intentional walk, isn't that only an option before the pitcher throws any pitches? Isn't it true that once you throw a pitch, the pitches for the IBB must be thrown?

[LMan]

Originally Posted by mcrowder

Don't do much FED, but if you are using the automatic intentional walk, isn't that only an option before the pitcher throws any pitches? Isn't it true that once you throw a pitch, the pitches for the IBB must be thrown?

No, a coach can ask for a IBB on any count, and you just wave the BR to 1B. You have to kill the ball to award the IBB, however.

[mbyron]

Wait a sec - my poor memory is nagging me, saying that an intentional walk might be one of the things (along with the next pitch and a play initiated by the defense) that makes an improper batter the proper batter. Somebody with the book handy, please tell me whether I'm making this up. TIA.

[LMan]

Day-yum, bud, you are good.

FED 7-2-c "When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out.....or an intentional base on balls has occurred.....the improper batter becomes the proper batter."

...but occurred to whom? it doesnt specify whether its the IBB to the improper batter himself or the succeeding batter that legitimizes him. And I dont have a casebook with me.

[blueump]

Originally Posted by LMan

Day-yum, bud, you are good.

FED 7-2-c "When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out.....or an intentional base on balls has occurred.....the improper batter becomes the proper batter."

...So if an improper batter walks (unintentionally lets say) and then rounds first and steals second, he can no longer be called out either?

[LMan]

Originally Posted by blueump

...So if an improper batter walks (unintentionally lets say) and then rounds first and steals second, he can no longer be called out either?

He is still subject to appeal, since that's all part of the same play. Action has not relaxed.

In FED, a subsequent defensive play would foreclose any appeals (pitch, balk, pickoff attempt, etc).

In OBR, either an offensive or defensive play forecloses an appeal, so in this case if the walked batter stopped at 1B, action relaxed, the next batter took his place in the box, and then R1 stole 2B, that would stop the appeal (in OBR).


RE: the original sitch, it looks like that 7-1-c refers to the next batter (the one after the BOO guy) getting a IBB that cancels an appeal. This is supported by 8-2-5 (Pen (3)) on general appeal procedures (at least in FED).

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by LMan

Day-yum, bud, you are good.

FED 7-2-c "When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out.....or an intentional base on balls has occurred.....the improper batter becomes the proper batter."

...but occurred to whom? it doesnt specify whether its the IBB to the improper batter himself or the succeeding batter that legitimizes him. And I dont have a casebook with me.

My book says "When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out and the defensive team appeals to th umpire before the first leagal or illegal pitch, or, play or attempted play, or prior to an intentional base on balls or before the infielders leave the diamond if a half inning is ending, the umpire shall declare the proper batter out and reture all runners to the base occupied at the time of pitch."

The way I read it, the intentional walk must be issued to the next batter for the improper batter to become proper.

[NIump50]

Originally Posted by LMan

Day-yum, bud, you are good.

FED 7-2-c "When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out.....or an intentional base on balls has occurred.....the improper batter becomes the proper batter."

...but occurred to whom? it doesnt specify whether its the IBB to the improper batter himself or the succeeding batter that legitimizes him. And I dont have a casebook with me.

I think you're quoting from Fed Penalties: For batting out of order(Art. 1 and 2) of 7-1-1&2

Strictly from a logical perspective it doesn't make sense that a team would lose their right of appeal because they intentionally walked an improper batter.

Also #2 of penalty section is pretty clear that it is an IBB of the following batter. The appeal must come before the first legal or illegal pitch to the next batter, since an IBB requires no pitches that had to be specifically noted.

So the IBB of the improper batter was a heads up play by the defense.
Kudos to the coach

[mbyron]

Glad we got that cleared up: "intentional walk" does appear in the relevant rule, but only an intentional walk to the NEXT batter makes the improper batter the proper batter.

In the situation that happened, the coach was quite right.

[DG]

Originally Posted by blueump

Here was a new one...couldn't believe my eyes!

FED ball - start of a new inning. Batter steps into the box. Takes ball one. I hear some rumbling from the players in his dugout. As he steps into the box for the second pitch some of the players are now yelling to him to "step out of the box".

Before the pitcher gets a chance to throw the second pitch, the other coach requests that the batter be intentionally walked. I point to first base, he drops his bat and trots to first, amid the now louder yells from his dugout, not to go. He pauses, and seems confused, but goes down to first anyway.

Once he gets there, the coach who requested the walk comes out and points out that he is the wrong batter - one slot too early. He's called out, and then returns to the box for his correct at bat!

Minor correction. The correct batter is called out, not the improper batter. The improper batter, if he is the next batter after the correct batter called out, comes back to the plate to bat again.

Also, I read some of the posts that follow. If an improper batter bats, and the next batter is intentionallly walked you can't then appeal BOO unless the batter who is intentionally walked is also an improper batter. This was changed a couple years ago to prevent intentionally walking a power hitter with no pitchers so he loses his turn at bat, and then getting an out on a BOO situation that happened before he came to the plate. Intentionally walking is considered a play.

[sm_bbcoach]

Originally Posted by DG

Minor correction. The correct batter is called out, not the improper batter. The improper batter, if he is the next batter after the correct batter called out, comes back to the plate to bat again.

Also, I read some of the posts that follow. If an improper batter bats, and the next batter is intentionallly walked you can't then appeal BOO unless the batter who is intentionally walked is also an improper batter. This was changed a couple years ago to prevent intentionally walking a power hitter with no pitchers so he loses his turn at bat, and then getting an out on a BOO situation that happened before he came to the plate. Intentionally walking is considered a play.

Let me see if i understand this correctly:

A's batting top of 4th.


Line up card for A's batting inthe 4th:

Martin SS
Cutler CF
Shelton C
PArker P

Cutler is in B.Box. B's coach requests and is granted a IBB. Umpire motions Cutler to 1b. He trots down and stand on 1b ready for his leadoff.

Then, B's coach appeals that Martin is the person who should have batted, not Cutler. Umpire agrees, calls Martin {Cutler} out.

So, Cutler is the batter now with 1 out. CORRECT?????

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by sm_bbcoach

So, Cutler is the batter now with 1 out. CORRECT?????

Correct.

It's called "Batting Out of Order", but it should be "Being Too Stupid To Bat When It's Your Turn." Makes the rule easier to understand and enforce.