Stepping on Plate - FED v OBR
 

I'm not an umpire.

Am I correct that in OBR you are not out for stepping on the plate while batting IF your foot is not completely out of the batter's box?

What is the FED rule?

You have it right. In FED and NCAA, the batter is out if he hits the ball (fair or foul) with one foot on the ground completely out off the box or touching the plate. The "touching the plate" part does not exist in OBR.

I could never grasp why the "touching home plate" part is there. If the batter is 3" in front of or behind the plate with a part of his foot still in the box it's OK but if he touches the plate he's out. Doesn't compute.

I think FED thought this up first then NCAA added it.

I concur. FED recently prohibited the knee from touching the plate as well. I would love to see a video of the play that resulted in that rule change (they usually result from something that happened on the field).

I agree that it is rather dumb. I see no advantage gained by the batter, which is why other rules regarding being out of the batter's box exist.

But now I have a related question, probably because I'm brain cramping and can't recall how to treat it. A similar question was asked on the softball board.

What happens when a batter has a foot completely out of the box (or touching the plate in FED/NCAA), and he gets hit with the pitch? Let's say he squares to bunt, moving his back foot out of the box, the pitch is way inside and he can't avoid it. Is it still a first-base award? Or is it a dead-ball Ball award?

treat it like any other HBP.

Both.

Can't have both unless it was Ball Four. A dead-ball Ball award means he stays at the plate, just as if he made no attempt to avoid the pitch.

If he stays at the plate, there is no award.

You mean he permitted the pitch to hit him (FED language)

The fact that the batter is out of the box has nothing to do (on it's own) with deciding whether to award first or to keep the batter at the plate. Judge it like you would any other HBP -- did the batter move into the pitch? did he permit himself to be hit? Was the ball over the batter's box? etc.

FWIW (and the reason I asked), in NCAA softball, a batter who is out in front of the box (e.g., a lefty slap hitter who runs up to slap at the pitch and has her foot outside the top of the batter's box) when hit by a pitch is not awarded first base. Nor is she awarded with a Ball on her count. It's simply ruled a No Pitch unless she offered at the ball.

I think this is the only rule set where this applies.

Given that in this position a large portion of the batter in in the strike zone we also have the possibility of of a dead ball/strike

Not if he's doing it right.

there are out of the box or standing on the plate they have already proved they aren't doing it right:)