Called strike on a hit batter
You heard me right. There are instances when a batter who's hit by the ball isn't awarded first base but instead given a strike. The first example is when a player squares around to bunt and part of his body is in the strike zone. Most likely this would be part of his arm. If he is hit in this example the umpire should call a strike and a dead ball on the play.
The second instance is when a batter is hit while they are swinging at a pitch. I'm sure you've seen it before. The batter swings at the pitch a little too early and the ball hits them in the shoulder. The umpire should call time and signal a strike. Sometimes the batter may bring the bat through the strike zone while trying to avoid the pitch. In that case the umpire would not call a strike and the batter would be awarded first base.
The third instance is when a batter is hit on the hand outside of the strike zone and the batter is not swinging at the pitch. The batter is awarded first base. It's up to the umpire's discretion any other instance in which he would call a strike such as the batter's hands in the strike zone while being hit.
All very interesting but also very important for you to understand.
Do you know of any Little League batting rules that are interesting? Leave a comment on this blog and let us know!
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In a LL tournament game last year, my batter was called out on strikes as when he was avoiding the pitch, the bat went into the strike zone.
ReplyDeleteI questioned the call, but the LL rule book came out and the paragraph cited. By the District's head Ump of all people...
Pretty much a lame rule.
I'm not a fan of the rule either. You and I have played baseball too so we know that sometimes as a young player you'll do anything to avoid getting hit even if that means you temporarily lose control of the bat...and it happens to barely enter the strike zone.
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