Slow pitch, half swing
 

Hey, slow pitch guys...

I was doing church league slow pitch last week on a field with no fence.

Visitors were launching balls over the outfielders' heads for the first couple of innings. Defense finally decided to play deep. So the offense decides that since they're playing deep to basically poke base hits over the infielders.

One guy who can really go deep took a half swing at a pitch and popped up to shallow RF. Defense converged but the ball fell for a hit. D-coach now complains that the batter can't do that. I asked "do what, coach?" He told me the batter has to take a full swing, can't check his swing.

I told the coach that check swings are not dis-allowed, that only bunting or chopping down on the ball are dis-allowed. In my judgment, the batter did not bunt, nor did he chop down on the ball.

If anything, I'd describe his swing as something you might see in a badminton game softly serving the birdie [ball] to a desired location.

I checked the rule book after the game and didn't find anything different.

Anything illegal going on here?

Thanx.

Nothing illegal whatsoever.

If it's not a bunt or chopped swing, it's nothing. :)

People seem to think that RS #10 supports their argument, but it's always taken out of context.

Perfectly legal. Just smart hitting in my book.

If he didn't chop down I'd look for one thing only.
 

Did the bat stop in the middle of the swing? If so, then you would have a bunt.

I might have a check swing on that, but not a bunt. I'm thinking about the times I've had a "slapper" in FP foul off a pitch w/ 2 strikes and the D coach always wants an out because she "bunted".

Really?? So every checked swing which makes contact with the ball is a bunt??

Definition: A pitched (sic, should be batted) ball that is INTENTIONALLY tapped with the bat, slowly, WITHIN THE INFIELD.

OP has batter popping up to shallow right field. How can that be classified as a bunt, no matter what the batter did to get it there??

Thread hijack alert. Third world alert.

I guess I've never noticed the second part you marked there and while it's difficult to imagine it coming into play would you ignore it if it did. Situation.
*-2 count and batter decides to bunt anyway. Third baseman seeing this breaks in hard and the batter decides to bunt as hard as possible in an attempt to get past the third baseman. The ball is popped up over the third baseman and lands foul in the outfield. Ruling?

I would (selfishly) refer again to the most narrow definition of "outfield", and judge that what you described isn't to "that portion of the field in fair territory which is normally covered by the outfielders.

Frankly never noticed the "fair" requirement before, myself (so no foul anything is in the "outfield"), but in normal play, the player with the most likely chance to make the play you describe is the shortstop. Foul bunt, batter out.

No offense Steve...but
 

I don't think I remember ever seeing a check swing in 23 years of slow pitch umpiring. Not saying its never happened just saying I don't remember one.

Really? So, Texans are a decisive group. ;)

See them all the time in my area. Guess out players cannot make up their mind.:rolleyes:

Probably more like Texans can't imagine there could ever be a pitch they can't hit... :D

Is there a separate definition for a bunt in slow pitch? I bet you have seen more than a few doing fast pitch (or modified, if any in your area).

The point is that a bat stopping in the middle of a swing (your words, mind you), is still, in fact, a swing, not a bunt.

After reading this it hit me this morning that the definition doesn't mention the outfield. It does mentions the infield, which is: That portion of the field in fair territory that includes areas normally covered by infielders.

So no foul bunt actually meets the definition. Somehow that makes the definition easier to ignore.

Yep. Rule 7.6.H - THE BATTER IS OUT (Slow Pitch)When the batter bunts or chops the ball.


But, you knew that.

I would have expected the definition of a bunt to actually be a definition. Please try again. ;)