Batter kicks blocked pitch

Big Daddy Michigan · May 9, 2017

My daughter was catching tonight and there was an awful pitch that slipped from the pitcher's hand and rolled to a dead stop between the batter's feet in the box. The runners on first and second did not attempt to run.

My daughter said, "Excuse me" to the batter and the batter realized she was blocking her from picking up the ball, so the batter quickly stepped back and hit the ball with her heel sending it to the fence and allowing both runners to advance. My daughter was pi$$ed and believes they should have sent the runners back for batter interference.

She told me to post here and get a ruling. LOL

Umpireernie · May 10, 2017

I agree with DD. It doesn't matter if batter "meant to" or did it "accidentally". The batter's action of kicking the ball, even if inadvertent, allowed the runners to advance while preventing the defense from making a play. Dead ball, batter out, runners return.

BretMan · May 10, 2017

Hmmm...I'm going to go off the ranch on this one...

When is a pitch no longer a pitch? Even if the ball was rolling all the way to the plate a batter still has a right to bat it into play.

What play was interfered with? No runners were advancing when the ball was touched. Generally, to rule interference an actual play must be interfered with- that is, there must be an opportunity to get an out. No runners advancing = no opportunity to make an out.

Why should the defense profit with a free out just because they threw a horrible pitch that wound up inside the batter's box and at the batter's feet?

I think that a case could be made for calling a dead ball, sending the runners back, and adding a ball to the batter's count. The justification would be that this is a live pitch, but it didn't hit the batter, the batter contacted it. Treat it the same way as a batter intentionally contacting a pitch or moving into a pitch and getting hit.

I don't think that you'll find a rule or case play that addresses this precise scenario. In those rare instances, sometimes an umpire has to fall back on the concept of "CSFP"- Common Sense and Fair Play. I just can't see giving the defense a free out on this one, nor the offense getting a free base.

Comp · May 10, 2017

There is a case play dealing with a batter inadvertently making contact with a return throw to the pitcher from the catcher. If the runners were not advancing and the batter somehow makes contact with the throw its simply a dead ball, no harm no foul. Return any runners who may have advanced after the block of the throw. While this was not a return throw to the pitcher, I would handle it the same way dead ball return the runners.

MTR · May 10, 2017

Big Daddy Michigan said:
My daughter was catching tonight and there was an awful pitch that slipped from the pitcher's hand and rolled to a dead stop between the batter's feet in the box. The runners on first and second did not attempt to run.

My daughter said, "Excuse me" to the batter and the batter realized she was blocking her from picking up the ball, so the batter quickly stepped back and hit the ball with her heel sending it to the fence and allowing both runners to advance. My daughter was pi$$ed and believes they should have sent the runners back for batter interference.

She told me to post here and get a ruling. LOL

Blocked ball. Nothing, including an advance by runners, may occur.

djcarter1966 · May 10, 2017

Kind of odd but it does not sound like your DD was actively attempting to field it so I don't really see it as interference.

The first thing that happened to the pitched ball was the batter's action causing contact with the ball.

As weird as it sound I would treat it like a HBP where the batter did not attempt to get out of the way. Dead Ball, Ball on batter. runner can't advance.

p.s. just sorry saw [MENTION=2016]BretMan[/MENTION] posted basically same thing...I agree

MTR · May 10, 2017

djcarter1966 said:
Kind of odd but it does not sound like your DD was actively attempting to field it so I don't really see it as interference.

The first thing that happened to the pitched ball was the batter's action causing contact with the ball.

As weird as it sound I would treat it like a HBP where the batter did not attempt to get out of the way. Dead Ball, Ball on batter. runner can't advance.

p.s. just sorry saw [MENTION=2016]BretMan[/MENTION] posted basically same thing...I agree

But the batter did attempt to get out of the way

MTR · May 10, 2017

BretMan said:
Hmmm...I'm going to go off the ranch on this one...

When is a pitch no longer a pitch? Even if the ball was rolling all the way to the plate a batter still has a right to bat it into play.

What play was interfered with? No runners were advancing when the ball was touched. Generally, to rule interference an actual play must be interfered with- that is, there must be an opportunity to get an out. No runners advancing = no opportunity to make an out.

Why should the defense profit with a free out just because they threw a horrible pitch that wound up inside the batter's box and at the batter's feet?

I think that a case could be made for calling a dead ball, sending the runners back, and adding a ball to the batter's count. The justification would be that this is a live pitch, but it didn't hit the batter, the batter contacted it. Treat it the same way as a batter intentionally contacting a pitch or moving into a pitch and getting hit.

I don't think that you'll find a rule or case play that addresses this precise scenario. In those rare instances, sometimes an umpire has to fall back on the concept of "CSFP"- Common Sense and Fair Play. I just can't see giving the defense a free out on this one, nor the offense getting a free base.

At the time of the contact, there were no plays with which to interfere, so there would be no justification for an INT/out call here.

djcarter1966 · May 10, 2017

I think this is a different call if the catcher jumps out of her crouch and reaches for the ball and the batter kicks the ball even accidentally but that's not the case.

What exactly is the definition of blocked ball? the one I could find is for someone not engaged in play which would not apply to the batter I don't think.

I think dead ball no advance of runners feels like the right call but just hard to find exact rule to base it on [MENTION=426]Comp[/MENTION] makes the same case but his example is not exactly the same either.

Umpireernie · May 10, 2017

It's not a blocked ball.

USA Rule 1-Blocked Ball: A batted, pitched or thrown ball that is stopped, touched, or handled by a person not engwg d in the game, or which touches loose equipment or any object that is not part of the official equipment or official playing area. NFHS has same definition under rule 2-2-3.

Clearly the batter is "engaged in th game".

USA has an exception to batter interference that specifically relates to a thrown ball from F2 back to F1 which accidentally contacts the batter, in which case the bill is dead and runners return no out. (7-6-U exception) But this was not the case in the OP. In NFHS there is no similar exception.

Interference is an ACT by the offense that hinders the defense in making a play. The ACT of the batter moving her leg and kicking the ball, even if inadvertent, allowed the runners to advance while hindering F2 from making a play on them.

It's not giving the defense an out for bad pitch. The batter could have avoided kicking the ball and didn't. The act hindered F2 from making a play.

Batter kicks blocked pitch

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