Another strange one, from a friend

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Don't each of those rules specify that it is required if it is actually required to be used.

A Catcher shall wear....

A batter shall wear a batting helmet.....

All fielders shall .....

Nowhere that I can find does it say a batter shall enter the batters box with a legal bat.

Yes, it does seem like strange wording, but in a legal sense, it doesn't say a batter is required to have a bat with them when they enter the box.

Lord knows, I really hope this never happens.

So, you would allow a batter to bat with two bats then.

This is the kind of thought-processing that a coach would use to argue with an umpire.

Frankly, I wouldn't tolerate a batter who comes up without a bat. If a coach really wanted to push the issue and argue there isn't an outright statement in the rules requiring a batter to use a bat, I would counter with the catch-all in 3-6-13c that says a player will not commit an unsporting act such as "behavior in any manner not in accordance with the spirit of fair play." Heck, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that a batter without a bat is taunting the pitcher.