Blue: Don't toss the bat

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by rwest

Actually, POE 52 also says you eject the player if he intentionally throws the bat in anger. Would this be an immediate dead ball and an out as well as the ejection? Suppose he hits a pop-up and thinking he's going to be out throws his bat in anger. If the infielder (no IFR in effect here) fails to catch the ball, if the batter made it safely to 1st would they be replaced by a legal sub since they were ejected? No legal sub, then we also have an out.

If you judge it to be flagrant misconduct, he can be declared out. ASA Case Play 10.8-1.

[greymule]

Yes, a bat thrown in anger is another story. It doesn't have to hit anybody or interfere with a play. I was thinking of bats accidentally thrown.

I was pleased when ASA established an out for USC by a batter or runner. A runner deliberately crashing a catcher without the ball used to be an ejection, but not an out. Now it's an out and an ejection, as long as the crash occurs before the runner touches the plate. But a USC out for the offense seems to call for a corresponding "safe" for USC by the defense. As runner slides legally into 3B, F5 punches him in the nose with the ball. Besides the ejection, perhaps that should be a "safe" call for USC.