Batter wants a free pass

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by sunfudblu
Pitch comes in and batter doesn't even move. I call ball (because it wasn't in the zone) and keep the batter at the plate, count was 1-0 now 2-0. The ump doing the next game told me that I should've called the pitch a strike (no matter where it was) and then warned both benches for unsportsmenlike conduct and the next players to repeat would be ejected.

The only book I have is FED and they say to keep the batter at bat and call it a ball or a strike. Is this a college, pro, pony or little league ruling??

The only time you would call a strike on a HPB is if the batter was swinging at the pitch when it hit him. Otherwise it's a free walk to 1st base, or a ball only and keep the batter at bat if you believe he made no effort to avoid being hit by the pitch.

The only time you should warn both MANAGERS (not both benches) is after you judged that the pitch was intentionally thrown at the batter and you had just ejected the pitcher. Pitchers should NEVER be ejected for unintentionally hitting a batter with a pitch.

Like David says, be glad that ump doing the next game wasn't your partner. He sounds like a real Smitty.

With a HPB you want to be pretty darn sure the batter COULD have avoided the pitch before depriving him of his free walk to 1st base.

Is this a college, pro, pony or little league ruling?? I sincerely doubt you'll find this guy's weird idea in any official rule book for the game of baseball - but of course I could be wrong!

Cheers