bunting

[dash_riprock]

There are two rules that determine when the batter is "in the box."

One (6.03) refers to the batter's initial position in the box. Both feet must be entirely within the box (touching the lines is ok because the lines are part of the box).

The other (6.06a) applies when the batter hits the ball. The batter is legal as long as neither foot is on the ground entirely out of the box, i.e., completely across (and not touching) the line.

When the batter (or his bat) is hit by a fair batted ball, 6.03 applies. However, in practice (at least in my experience), it had to be pretty obvious that the batter was out of the box in order to bang him out. The lines of the box become partially obliterated after the first few batters, and the benefit of any doubt always went to the batter. In effect, umpires were applying the less strict standards of 6.06(a). OBR has recently made it clear that 6.03 is the rule that applies when the batter is hit by a batted ball,