Dead ball strike- ASA

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Separate but related to this subject, what do y'all call when the batter and the bat get hit by the ball virtually simultaneously? In other words, you hear the ball make contact with the bat, but you also see the batter react because the ball also hit her hand?

If the batter doesn't swing at the pitch, I usually give her the benefit of the doubt and send her to first base, judging that the ball hit her hand first. But if she does swing, what do you do? Do you assume the ball hit the bat first, and rule foul? Or do you call the dead ball strike?

To me, the sound is the best indicator. If I hear bat, it hit bat first. The hand hit makes a deadened "thud". When it appears "virtually" simultaneous, I know that the hand wrapped around the handle sticks out farther, so the hand must be closer to the pitch .......