What if situation

[chapmaja]

Ok, this is a what if situation. Only parts (broken bat) have happened while I was umpiring.

NFHS and ASA rule answers.

a) R1 on 3rd, R2, on second, R1 on first, 0 out. B4 hits a line drive to left field for a base hit. As she hits the ball, the composite bat breaks, and the non-handle portion of the bat flies out and hits F1 in the knee, causing her to go down injured. R1 scores, R2 comes in throw gets by the catcher and out of play into the dugout area. R3 had passed second base by the time the ball was thrown, and B4 was passed first base. What do you have?

b) Same situation, except the bat slips out of B4 hands and hits F1 on the knee.

c) same situation, except the bat comes back and hits F2 injuring her? She ends up laying injured partially on top of home plate.

[Andy]

I'm going to handle this the same as any other situation when a player is injured during a live ball.

If the injury does not require immediate attention, I let the play finish, call time, and have the injured players attended to. If the injury requires immediate attention for the injured player, I call time, get help to the player, and place runners accordingly.

Specific answers to your situations:

a) Call dead ball when the ball enters the dugout, award R3 home and B4 third. Allow appropriate personnel to attend to the injured F1. I'd probably also try to grab the broken bat and take a quick look at it to see if it had been potentially altered.

b) see A, with the exception of inspecting the bat

c) This one might be a bit trickier. If the injured F2 requires immediate attention, kill the play as described above. If she does not require immediate attention, but is down on or around home plate and there is a possibility of further injury from runners attempting to score, kill the play and award bases.


This doesn't seem too hard. Are you thinking that there is some difference because it was the bat that struck a defensive player as opposed to the ball?

[AtlUmpSteve]

What Andy said, plus a warning in NFHS in b & c.

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve

What Andy said, plus a warning in NFHS in b & c.

Why a warning in c? Unless the catcher was hit by a carelessly released bat, I don't see a need to warn. It could be that the batter hit the catcher with the follow-through, which could be indicative of the catcher being too close to the plate.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Why a warning in c? Unless the catcher was hit by a carelessly released bat, I don't see a need to warn. It could be that the batter hit the catcher with the follow-through, which could be indicative of the catcher being too close to the plate.

While that could be a different situation, that isn't how I read this unclear OP, "same situation" after "bat slips out of B4 hands". If the bat leaves the batter's hands and hits a defensive player, I have a warning under 3-6-3.

[CecilOne]

Without looking it up, isn't there a difference in the rules for a broken bat versus a full bat?