Dropped Pitch

[UmpireErnie]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Just because a ball is rolling to the plate, does not make it ball four until it reaches the plate and is touched by the catcher. After all, the batter may still attempt to hit the ball if they choose, may even miss the ball.

Yes, the batter may still attempt to hit the ball. However, if she has discarded her bat and started to 1B, that ship has sailed. The pitch cannot become a strike unless she swings at it since it has hit the ground. And she has given up on swinging at it. So it's a ball. Still can't see any reason why batter must wait to go to 1B on this pitch..

8-1-C says the batter becomes a BR when four balls are called by the umpire. So when should the umpire call it a ball? 7-5-A says a ball is called by the umpire on any legally delivered pitch that does not enter the strike zone, touches the ground, or touches home plate and the batter does not swing.

This pitch has touched the ground and the batter has by discarding the bat and moving to 1B indicated she is not going to swing. It's ball four so now she is a batter-runner. When the dropped ball rolls against the bat, it is not a batter hitting the ball with one foot out of the box, it is a batter-runner whose discarded bat had the ball hit it. Which is nothing.