HBP in front of box

[greymule]

A while back, I asked what the ruling would be if a left-handed batter ran up to show bunt or slash, crossed the front line of the batter's box, did not offer, and--out of the box--was hit by a pitch that did not have a chance to become a strike.

I posed this question to my NJ UIC a couple of weeks ago, and the answer has now come back from ASA: it is "hit by pitch."

[mcrowder]

Just to clarify for those that didn't read the first thread...

"Did not have a chance to become a strike" can be misread (and was! By me in the OP).

Grey means a pitch that would not have otherwise become a strike had it not hit the batter.

Initially, I read this as a ball that did not have a chance to become a strike BECAUSE of the batter being hit outside the box... and that it would have become a strike had the batter not deprived it of it's full flight toward the plate.

In Grey's sitch, this is indeed a HBP. If the pitch was going to be a strike, however, had it continued it's flight, it is a DBS.

[greymule]

Good catch, mcrowder. "Did not have a chance to become a strike" could mistakenly be taken to mean "was not given a chance to become a strike."

I should have known better, since part of my regular job is to write medical instructions, methods, and procedures that cannot be interpreted more than one way.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by greymule

A while back, I asked what the ruling would be if a left-handed batter ran up to show bunt or slash, crossed the front line of the batter's box, did not offer, and--out of the box--was hit by a pitch that did not have a chance to become a strike.

I posed this question to my NJ UIC a couple of weeks ago, and the answer has now come back from ASA: it is "hit by pitch."

I would agree with an exception. If the umpire judges the batter literally ran into the pitch IN AN OBVIOUS MANNER, I can see ignoring the HBP. A particular batting style does not alleviate the responsibility of avoiding a pitch.