Help this Poor Guy with a foul tip question

[More Cowbell]

Gentlemen and Ladies,

Every few years a conundrum comes my way, and I must seek the knowledge of the experts. I looked but couldn't find/understand an answer--I was the interim manager, so I wanted to keep my 1-0 record in tact.

AAA LL (So Cal 10/11 year olds)Two strikes, inside pitch nearly hits batter, but ball nicks bat and is caught by our catcher. There was no swing...just trying to get out of way. Ruling on field is foul ball. I politely asked why wasn't it a strikeout...the umpire said, "it has to be a swing attempt for a caught third strike foul tip."

The umpire called a very good game, but I don't know what the correct call is. Opposing coaches offered the same opinion as umpire. What say you experts? (And is this "protest-able"? Or a win-able protest?)
Thanks and keep up the lively discourse!

[BretMan]

What you were told is incorrect. It doesn't "have to be a swing".

Any pitch that touches/is touched by the bat is a batted ball and all of the rules governing batted balls still apply- whether there was an intentional swing or not.

Since this was an apparent misinterpretation of a playing rule, then yes it would be protestable.

[CoachPaul]

Think about this: Had the ball hit the bat squarely and settled in fair territory, what would you have? A fair ball.
Had it deflected off the bat and skittered away, what would you have? A foul ball.
If it goes straight and direct into the mitt, what do you have? A foul tip. The first two situations didn't require a swing, why should the third?

[More Cowbell]

Coach Paul I was thinking that very argument...on the ride home. The ump was cordial enough and talked to me more between innings, still asserting his contention. (We did get a K the next pitch and won an extra inning thriller rendering the protest thing moot, but it was new to me.)

The Forum comes through again! Thanks

[Rita C]

The problem may be that we umpires so often refer to the foul tip as "being the same as a swing and a miss".

Some may think that means a swing is required.

Rita

[youngump]

Originally Posted by More Cowbell

Gentlemen and Ladies,

Every few years a conundrum comes my way, and I must seek the knowledge of the experts. I looked but couldn't find/understand an answer--I was the interim manager, so I wanted to keep my 1-0 record in tact.

AAA LL (So Cal 10/11 year olds)Two strikes, inside pitch nearly hits batter, but ball nicks bat and is caught by our catcher. There was no swing...just trying to get out of way. Ruling on field is foul ball. I politely asked why wasn't it a strikeout...the umpire said, "it has to be a swing attempt for a caught third strike foul tip."

The umpire called a very good game, but I don't know what the correct call is. Opposing coaches offered the same opinion as umpire. What say you experts? (And is this "protest-able"? Or a win-able protest?)
Thanks and keep up the lively discourse!

If for some reason it were a foul ball, it was caught in the air for an out. (It's not.)