Batter's Box Clarification

This actually happened in a little league baseball game that I umpired tonight, but I'm not sure the rule clarified this enough for me from the LL Baseball rule book, so I was hoping some knowledgeable softball umps could help me out. (I don't know any baseball umpires enough personally, and I believe the rule is very similar).

No runners on base, no outs, 1st batter of the inning. Batter steps across the box (after a regular stance fully within the box) to swing at a pitch, and makes contact with the ball. At the moment he makes contact, his right foot is fully within the box (right-handed hitter), but his LEFT foot has its toes on the dirt outside the box and its heel in air outside the box as well (not over where the line would be). He hit safely and made it to first base.

By the LL rule book: "6.06(a) A batter is out for illegal action when … hitting the ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter’s box." It doesn't specify HOW MUCH of the foot has to be on the ground outside. I called time, stated: "Batter's foot outside the box when contact was made. Batter is out." Was this the correct call?

Yes, if part of a foot is on the ground outside the box, another part has to be on the ground inside the box (including the line).

If the part of a foot which is on the ground is entirely outside the confines (lines are considered within the box) of the box when contact is made with the pitch, the ball is dead, the batter is out and all runners are returned to the base occupied at the time of the pitch. This is ASA/NFHS/ISF/NCAA and probably every other rule set for softball.

Should note as an aside that if any part of the foot is touching any part of plate at the time of contact, the rule is the same as for contacting the ball out of the box.

A caveat to that last part...

I don't work LL and don't have their rule book. But I do know that many of their rules are derived from OBR (Official Baseball Rules). In OBR touching the plate while hitting the ball is not a violation (as long as part of the foot is still in the box).

Somebody with a LL rule book would need to confirm that.

BretMan said:

A caveat to that last part...

I don't work LL and don't have their rule book. But I do know that many of their rules are derived from OBR (Official Baseball Rules). In OBR touching the plate while hitting the ball is not a violation (as long as part of the foot is still in the box).

Somebody with a LL rule book would need to confirm that.

Click to expand...

Not mentioned in Rule 6.06.

Crabby_Bob said:

Not mentioned in Rule 6.06.

Click to expand...

Not mentioned directly, but you can infer it based on the "entirely outside the box" part. If my toes were on Home Plate, but my heel was still on the lines of the batter's box, then that is LEGAL because my foot is not entirely outside. I presume if my foot were entirely on top of home plate when contact is made, THAT would be an out (since nothing is protected by the box).

Legal in some baseball rules and, apparently in Little League softball (hence no mention of it being a rule violation under the noted rule). But for most all softball rule sets touching the plate at all and hitting the ball, no matter where the rest of the foot is, is an out.