bat vs ball
 

Player bunts ball in front of plate and drops her bat in fair territory:
1. Bat lies still & ball rolls into bat = nothing, play on.
2. Ball lies still & bat rolls into ball = batter out.
3. Bat & ball both moving & make contact. What is the call?

Thanks

Judge it
Call it
Sell it

#3 is the same call as #2, the bat is moving.

We can start here...

March 2017

Plays and Clarifications

PLAY: One out and B2 bunts the ball and drops their bat and in (a) the ball accidently rolls into the bat in fair territory and ends up foul before it is touched, (b) the bat rolls and unintentionally hits the ball while in fair territory. In (a) the umpire rules foul ball and in (b) the umpire makes no call since there was no intent to hit the ball by the batter.

Ruling: In (a) the umpire has ruled correctly. Since the ball rolled against the bat and the ball was touched in foul territory the ball is judged to be foul. Rule 7 Section 6M Exception (2) and Rule Supplement number 24. In (b) the ruling is incorrect. Since the bat rolled against the ball regardless of intent the ball is dead and the batter is out. Rule 7 Section 6M

2016 reply from KR: (in red)

It gets a bit trickier when both ball and bat are moving.

The first argument is that if both are moving when contact is made over fair ground, then we have a dead ball and the batter is out.
A second opinion is that although both bat and ball are moving, if the bat is actually moving away from the ball but the ball "catches up to it" and hits the bat in fair territory, then we just play on - live ball.

If the ball and the bat are moving the umpire must judge which hit the other, the ball hit the bat or the bat hit the ball. When in doubt keep the ball live and play on


Considerations: If contact occurs over fair territory and

both bat and ball are airborne; when in doubt play on and leave the ball live
the bat is on the ground spinning on or close to a foul line; Did the ball hit the bat or did the bat hit the ball, judgement
after dropping the bat, the batter trips and kicks the bat up the first base line where it comes to rest just inside fair territory when the ball rolls up against it which prevents the ball from going foul (intent?); Ball hits the bat then keep the ball live
after bunting and dropping the bat, the batter trips and kicks the bat which then contacts the ball (intent?). Batter responsible for their bat, bat hit the ball while still moving, dead ball batter out.

Good job, Ted. :)

I honestly cannot see how an airborne bat and an airborne ball coming in contact with each other after a bunt could be anything but interference. The batter has to control his/her bat after hitting the ball, and allowing it to go airborne into fair territory shows a lack of that control.