There is no requirement for the batter to swing if the catcher steps or reaches out in front of the plate and catches the ball before it crosses. There are case plays covering situations where the ball is cut off before it reaches the plate or the catcher steps out and catches the ball before it crosses and it is to be ruled catchers obstruction.
Catcher out of catcher's box
- Thread starter smddad
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
There is no requirement for the batter to swing if the catcher steps or reaches out in front of the plate and catches the ball before it crosses. There are case plays covering situations where the ball is cut off before it reaches the plate or the catcher steps out and catches the ball before it crosses and it is to be ruled catchers obstruction.
- May 30, 2011
- 143
- 0
No but a swing or at least some movement that shows that the batter was going to attempt to swing sure helps unless the pitch send stopped before ever reaching the batter (and maybe it was). But if F2 simply catches the ball in front of the front edge of the catchers box (yes there is one) I'm not automatically giving catchers obstruction. Example: pitch to a righty lands,in the left hand batters box and F2 smothers it on the ground in front of her just inside the back edge of the left hand batters box. Clearly the batter was making no attempt to hit the pitch. It's just a ball.
I never said catching the ball in front of the front line of the catchers box was automatically catchers obstruction. For that matter it isnt against the rules for a catcher to catch the ball in front of the catchers box. It is illegal for the catcher to be physically out of the catchers box prior to the release of the pitch.
What I said was if the catcher caught the ball before it had a chance to reach the plate.
What I said was if the catcher caught the ball before it had a chance to reach the plate.
Last edited:
- Jun 22, 2008
- 3,438
- 48
This is absolutely true. I've seen this a few times at the lower level when a catcher steps up on the pitch reacting to an attempted steal. Personally, especially since I'm not fond of the sight of blood, I don't want to see that bat even move.
You're talking out of both sides of your mouth. There's a difference between setting up close to the plate and running after a ball that the pitcher threw in the dirt and the runners took off stealing. No one is talking about a ball that slips from the pitcher's hand and is bowled to home plate. That has nothing to do with the original question. Please stop confusing the issues.
I suggest you go back and read all my posts, I have never said anything about it being catchers obstruction if the ball was caught before it entered the catchers box. Every post has clearly referenced if the ball was caught before it crossed or passed over the plate, not the catchers box.
Now you're introducing "Caught before it entered the catchers box." Not sure where that is coming from. The first thing you said was "If the ball is being caught before the ball passes the plate it is catchers obstruction." I said that it isn't necessarily catcher's obstruction. You keep going back and forth on it.
I didn't introduce the comment about the ball being caught before entering the catchers box, another poster did and I was only responding to that comment. And if the pitched ball is caught before the ball passes the plate it is catchers obstruction, no requirement for the batter to attempt to hit the ball.
