Dropped Strike 2, ASA Rule Book
Dropped Strike 2, ASA Rule Book
No outs, No one on base. Count of 3 balls 1 strike on batter. On next pitch, batter swings at and missed pitch which hits dirt in front of plate. Catcher catches pitch cleanly. Batter believes this is a dropped 3rd srtike and runs to 1st. base. F2 throws ball to F3. Do we award ball 4 to batter because the catcher did not throw the ball directly back to the pitcher? If we do not award ball 4, what rule do we tell OC was used to put batter back in BB to complete her at bat? |
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Based upon actual rules, I would cite 6-7-B. "The catcher shall return the ball directly to the pitcher after each pitch, except after a strikeout, a put out or an attempted put out made by the catcher. While the put out wasn't actually possible, it was "attempted." Plus, if the batter thought it was a strikeout, who could fault the catcher? With that said, "We're playing ball coach. Get back in the dugout" should resolve the issue without any need for references. |
The OC requests an explanation on why not ball 4.
Other than the reasons given above, which as of right now are pretty much opinion, is there anything in the ASA rule book that would confirm it is indeed not ball 4? |
Based upon actual rules, I would cite 6-7-B. "The catcher shall return the ball directly to the pitcher after each pitch, except after a strikeout, a put out or an attempted put out made by the catcher.
While the put out wasn't actually possible, it was "attempted." |
Sometimes, basing a ruling on the "spirit and intent" of a rule can be a slippery slope. We weren't there when the rule was written and we didn't speak to the people that wrote it. How certain can we be that we truly know the "intent" of the authors?
But on this one, I'd be confident that neither the spirit nor the intent of the rule was broken. The catcher not returning the ball directly to the pitcher is, I believe, intended to prevent unecessary delays in the game. The catcher wasn't delaying the game- the batter was by running when she shouldn't have! Calling a ball here would be on overly officious technicality. But if you really want to get technical... There is a list of times when a batter may leave the batter's box between pitches. If she leaves when not entitled to, the umpire may issue a penalty strike. Yes, one of the exceptions when a batter may leave the box between pitches is "on a swing". But running all the way down to first base is not, in itself, "a swing"! It is a separate action and one not exempted from the "penalty strike" rule. The rule says that the umpire may rule a strike if the batter delays the game for any other reason than one of the listed exemptions. Tell the coach that you accessed the penalty strike before the catcher threw the ball, so his batter was already out. Is that technical enough for ya? :D (Disclaimer: The above is not an official interpretation published by any sanctioning body I'm aware of.) |
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