Bunt attempt turns into HBP

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

You blew this call straight up.

This was an attempt. "saving yourself" with the bat is an attempt to hit the ball with the bat. If you have time to try to hit the ball, you have time to duck!

Look at it this way, if this batter had hit the ball fair and it not hit his hands - would you have called "Dead ball, batter was not trying to hit ball, he was trying to defend himself".

Nope, if it was a fairball, play would have went on.

This was deadball, strike on the call.

3-1

Play ball.

This is faulty logic you are using. If the batter made no attempt to hit the baseball, it is a HBP. It is only a dead ball strike if he was either 1) hit by the ball while it was in the strike zone, or 2) if he was making an attempt to hit the ball. Just because the ball hit his hand, and not the bat, doesn't make it a dead ball strike.

If the batter just held his bat in the normal set position, instead of squaring around to bunt, and was hit in the hand, would you call a dead ball strike then? No, you would award first base. But if the ball caromed off of the bat into fair territory, it would be a fair ball, whether swung at or not.

Unless this guy saw the pitch coming at his face, and actually attempted to bunt the ball, this was a Hit By Pitch.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Sorry Walt, I didn't see your post. Oh well, a little corroboration couldn't hurt!

[SAump]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Sorry Walt, I didn't see your post. Oh well, a little corroboration couldn't hurt!

Both Walt and Steve have correctly described what I saw. That was the entire reason for the thread. I couldn't believe the offensive coach would question why I would award his batter first base. That coach had NO reason to question my judgment on an event that went his way. His actions struck me like a bolt of lightning and threw me off balance. I couldn't get a grip on a reason. I thought I handled things well with the defensive coach too. He probably would have never even come out on the first play. I'm trying to do the best I can with the situation as presented.

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Sorry Walt, I didn't see your post. Oh well, a little corroboration couldn't hurt!

Always good to know when you and your partner are on the same page.