Hands part of bat

[greymule]

Another wrinkle in this play is the batter who swings at an inside pitch and the ball hits his hands and rolls into the infield. Rare at high levels, common at lower levels. (I've seen them swing and get hit in the head, too.) Wherever the ball goes, it's a dead ball and a strike.

I've had a hundred coaches claim the hands are part of the bat. I don't know why that misconception is so persistent.