Batter switching boxes during same AB

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by eagle_12

OBR

Batter has a 1-2 count on him while batting Righty. After a pitch, foul ball, whatever... switches to lefty.

Is he allowed to do this?

I know that he can not switch boxes while the pitcher is ready to pitch (assuming to mean, on the rubber from the wind-up, and after hes completed his set position) and if the pitcher is ambidextrious (?) he has to delcare before the AB starts.


Little help here as it happened in a game before mine last night.

Thanks

He can switch back and forth after every pitch if he wants to, just as long as the pitcher is not ready to pitch. "Ready to pitch" doesn't mean after he has come set, it means once he is in position and ready to pitch. These criteria have to be met to be "in position": The ball is alive, the pitcher is on the rubber and the catcher is in position. After that, the batter can't switch boxes.

6.06(b) The batter is out for illegal action when he steps from one batter’s box to the other while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch.

Also, it's not the batter who has to declare how he will bat with an ambidextrious pitcher, it's the pitcher who must declare which arm he will throw with.