Author Topic: Um, take your base?  (Read 7536 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline ncwingman

  • *
  • Posts: 1269
  • FAN REACTION: +72/-13
  • Without officials... it is only recess.
Um, take your base?
« on: April 27, 2015, 01:23:41 PM »
So this quick gif made it's way to reddit, and seeing as I'm a football guy first -- I felt like asking here.

Gist of the gif: pitcher throws VERY inside, and the batter catches the ball barehanded. He flips it to the catcher and starts getting ready for the next pitch before the ump awards him first (presumably HBP, no audio to be sure).

There's some debate whether he should have been considered HBP since he caught the ball and wasn't "avoiding" it -- but he certainly wasn't leaning over the plate or reaching for the ball. I'm thinking HBP is correct, but I'm not (yet) a baseball guy with a rulebook at hand to be sure.

Personally, I think he should have turned to the ump and asked "Howzat?" and tried to get the pitcher called out.

Offline Atlanta Blue

  • *
  • Posts: 3781
  • FAN REACTION: +160/-71
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2015, 02:00:29 PM »
Under FED rules:

8-3-4: A batter shall not permit the ball to touch him.

Catching the ball would certainly be "allowing the ball to touch him".  Call a ball.


Offline Rulesman

  • Past Keeper of the Keys
  • Refstripes Hero
  • *****
  • Posts: 3839
  • FAN REACTION: +65535/-2
  • Live like tomorrow never comes.
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2015, 03:56:53 PM »
Under FED rules:

8-3-4: A batter shall not permit the ball to touch him.

Catching the ball would certainly be "allowing the ball to touch him".  Call a ball.
Uh, I'm no baseball guy... have never worked the game. But do you call a ball if it is clearly a HBP situation and the batter decides he's not going to get out of the way? He allowed the ball to touch him. Surely you're just kidding, AB?
"Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good."
- Vince Lombardi

Offline Atlanta Blue

  • *
  • Posts: 3781
  • FAN REACTION: +160/-71
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2015, 08:57:43 PM »
Uh, I'm no baseball guy... have never worked the game. But do you call a ball if it is clearly a HBP situation and the batter decides he's not going to get out of the way? He allowed the ball to touch him. Surely you're just kidding, AB?
I'm about as liberal an umpire as I know in giving the benefit of the doubt to the batter.  But he has to do SOMETHING to avoid the pitch, however feeble it might be.

All the rule codes (FED, NCAA, OBR) require the batter to attempt to avoid the pitch.  The NCAA has a few "contradictory" interpretations of the rule.  In various places they say:

If the batter intentionally lets the ball hit him, it's just a ball.

If the batter makes no attempt to avoid getting hit, it's a ball.

But then they have an Approved Ruling that says:

If the batter freezes and is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of
the batter’s box, the ball is dead and the batter is awarded first base.

Now, try judging the difference between "no attempt" and freezing and getting hit while in the box.

Personally, I think if the ball hits the batter while he is clearly in the batter's box, it's the pitcher's fault and the batter should get first.  But the batter can't be so blatant as to CATCH the ball.  He has to give me SOME chance of giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Offline Wingmanbp

  • *
  • Posts: 267
  • FAN REACTION: +5/-7
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2015, 05:56:46 AM »
I could see a batter in a quick reaction and attempt to protect himself catch the ball as a natural reaction. I would just have to see if to determine intent

Offline bkdow

  • *
  • Posts: 239
  • FAN REACTION: +9/-3
  • Striving for the impossible level of perfection
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2015, 01:03:17 PM »
I had a girl get hit this week and never even made the slightest movement.  She stood there and watched the ball hit her in the leg.  I called time, ruled it as a Ball, and told her that she had to made some effort to get out of the way.  She did not complain and the next pitch hit her in the back after she made an effort to get out of the way.  Two for the price of one!   LOL
"Don't let perfection get in the way of really good." John Lucivansky

Offline Wingmanbp

  • *
  • Posts: 267
  • FAN REACTION: +5/-7
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2015, 01:46:19 PM »
I have seen the video and I see the batter jump back and in protection mode catches the ball. I am giving first every time on that play

Offline Ralph Damren

  • *
  • Posts: 4654
  • FAN REACTION: +864/-28
  • SEE IT-THINK IT-CALL IT
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2015, 09:49:29 AM »
Conversation I heard yesterday between batter and teammate that was on-deck.....

Bases loaded, Bubba at bat with 1-2 count :

(1) Pitch WAY inside, Bubba lunges forward to avoid being hit in the butt;

(2) on-deck man yells, " Let it hit ya' ,Bubba and we get a run!"

(3) Bubba yells back, " 'Spect it would hurt too much ::)."

(4) On-deck man retorts, " You're a pain in the A#%, nohow :-*"

(5) Bubba  ;D grinned, catcher  ;D grinned, I ;D grinned;

(6) next pitch was strike three (called)....

   ...and the band played on....
    ....WHOOPS, :P sorry -this ain't football - and the crickets chirped on.... tiphat:
« Last Edit: May 14, 2015, 09:52:32 AM by Ralph Damren »

Offline yarnnelg

  • *
  • Posts: 941
  • FAN REACTION: +55/-37
Re: Um, take your base?
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2018, 10:58:14 PM »
Mine was much better. I was coaching, bases loaded, last inning, one run we win.

Batter is my youngest brother. Called time. "Crowd the plate and get hit by the pitch." "No, it'll hurt!" " No it won't, get hit" he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the middle of the lake.
He gets hit by the pitch, tears streaming down his face, winning run scores. He stands on first and yells at me "You lied to me! You said it wouldn't hurt!"