Skipped Batter Forgotten
 

As relayed to me at a BBQ yesterday: Slow pitch game (but applies in fast pitch as well). Team's batting order had all 11 players present with an EH. One player pulled a hammy while running bases and had to be removed from the game.

Next time around the order and with two outs, that player's spot was passed. A couple of batters reached base, and then it was brought to the PU's attention that the skipped batter's order spot should have been ruled an out to end the inning, but nobody caught it. A discussion ensued on what should be done. The PU ruled that since the defense didn't catch it in time, just play on.

Seems to me that this is not something that requires an appeal. By rule, the skipped batter's position is an automatic out, correct? And the two players who subsequently batted should be nullified, right? But what if this had not been discovered until much more play had taken place? Say the team batted, scored a couple runs, then the opposing team batted, and then the light bulb came on? Is there a point of no return?

Its not an appeal situation, rule dictates that when a spot becomes vacant in the lineup it is an out. How can anything happen after the 3rd out of an inning? Once the light bulb finally comes on, anything that occured after the 3rd out for the vacant spot never really happened.

My first inclination would be to treat it as a batting out of order situation.

Yeppers. Rule says it is an out, it was an out. If that was the third, it is the third.

If you say so.
Sure it's going to be a mess of it isn't discovered till the next time the "out"is due
up.
Of course good game mgmt. by the plate umpire would never permit that to happen.

And how is that? I don't check my lineup card everytime a new batter comes to the plate. It's pretty easy to miss this, just like it's easy to miss unreported subs, illegal players, etc. The gentleman at the BBQ who told me this happened to him is a really good umpire who, IMO, got victimized by the flow of the game.

Isn't this something that really should be caught by the game's official scorekeeper? It's not a BOO situation that scorekeepers are supposed to keep mum about. Once he/she knows the missing player is due up, shouldn't he/she bring it to everyone's attention?

I have mentioned it before in other posts, but a few years back at nationals we had a team that showed up for pool play with only 8 players. The coach was a tool and insisted it was an appeal play the opposing team had to make. He was told in each and every game it was not an appeal play and the missing batter was out by rule. He refused to keep the umpires informed of the missing batter so we asked the other teams score keeper to please keep us informed. I also made a mental note of the preceeding batters jersey number to remind myself each time she came up we would immediately have an out following her at bat.

Any time I'm in a situation that will require an automatic out, I ask the scorekeeper who the batter before that out is, and then pay attention to who's getting in the batter's box. Like Irish said, this is not a BOO - the out happened when it happened. It helps if you're ready for it, but even if you miss it, as in the OP, it happened.