Lead-off Batter = On-Deck Batter?

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

Funny story about that, ASA 18U GOLD qualifier in my state last year I enforced this and got the 'are you kidding me' sort of response and 'never heard that before' etc.

I get the same "are you kidding me" response when I limit it to one on-deck batter swinging a bat...or disallow the lead-off batter to get right next to the batter's box while the pitcher is throwing warm-up pitches...or stop an oblivious lead-off batter from strolling around behind the catcher, to get next to the opposite batter's box while the pitcher warms up...or when an on-deck batter wants to go into the on-deck circle next to the other team's dugout.

"I've never heard that before!"

Well, just because you've never heard it before doesn't mean that it isn't an actual rule that we're going to be enforcing today. Come to think of it, most umpires around here are so lax in enforcing this that maybe they never have heard of it before.