Who was duped???

[Orange Socks]

This was shared with me by another softball dad. Their team is playing in an 16U ASA sanctioned tourney. 2 outs bottom of the inning, home team(other team) is losing. Visiting coach switched out pitchers to stall for time with barely a minute to go. Once the pitcher is done warming up and is ready to go, the batter steps in the box and then steps on the plate and the umpire calls the batter out and a new inning starts.

I told the dad that I believe that was the wrong call, since the pitcher did not pitch the ball, and the bat was not in contact with the ball at the same moment the batter's foot was touching the plate.

What do you y'all think? Wrong call or right call by the ump?

By the way, the other team won the game in the next inning.

 

[riseball]

This was shared with me by another softball dad. Their team is playing in an 16U ASA sanctioned tourney. 2 outs bottom of the inning, home team(other team) is losing. Visiting coach switched out pitchers to stall for time with barely a minute to go. Once the pitcher is done warming up and is ready to go, the batter steps in the box and then steps on the plate and the umpire calls the batter out and a new inning starts.

I told the dad that I believe that was the wrong call, since the pitcher did not pitch the ball, and the bat was not in contact with the ball at the same moment the batter's foot was touching the plate.

What do you y'all think? Wrong call or right call by the ump?

By the way, the other team won the game in the next inning.

Right call. Dead ball, batter is out, new inning. Have done the same thing when another teams plays those silly games.

 

[Comp]

Just stepping on the plate is not an out. Bat must make contact with ball while foot is touching the plate.

 

[riseball]

Just stepping on the plate is not an out. Bat must make contact with ball while foot is touching the plate.

Stepping across plate as pitcher breaks their hands is.

 

[smddad]

Stepping across plate as pitcher breaks their hands is.

Reference?

 

[Comp]

Stepping across plate as pitcher breaks their hands is.

He didn't say stepped from one box to other he simply said stepped on plate which is not an automatic out.

For that matter there is also a rule which states any act to purposely hasten or delay the game is a forfeit.

 

[riseball]

He didn't say stepped from one box to other he simply said stepped on plate which is not an automatic out.

For that matter there is also a rule which states any act to purposely hasten or delay the game is a forfeit.

Find that very hard to believe. Especially since the action described neither hastens nor delays the game. Timed games are in and of themselves an aberration to the rules. What ruleset are you referencing that specifically addresses timed games? I have been using this tactic maybe once a year for over 2 decades and never once forfeited a game.

 

[riseball]

Reference?

11.21 Interference by Batter
Batter interference occurs while the batter is at bat and before she completes her
turn at bat.
11.21.1 The batter shall not step from one batter’s box, directly in front of the
catcher, to the other batter’s box while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch.
EFFECT—The ball is dead, the batter is out, and each base runner must
return to the base legally occupied at the time of the pitch.

Note: No mention of ejection, forfeit, or any other imaginary penalty akin to "deceiving the defense".

 

[Comp]

Dont know what rule set it is you are quoting but those arent ASA rule numbers, but, the ASA rule is essentially the same. The OP specifically states the batter stepped on the plate, not into the other batters box. Simply stepping on the plate is not an out unless the batter was swinging at the pitch and hit the ball.

Also, the rules of the game do not change because it is a timed game. ASA 5-4-E A forfeited game shall be declared by the umpire in favor of the team not at fault in the following cases: If a team employes tactics noticeably designed to delay or to hasten the game.

I have never seen nor heard of this particular rule being enforced. But, I have almost used it on one occasion with a coach who was being a real PITA and very vocally had a runner step off base long before the pitcher was even in position to pitch. While it is very unlikely to ever be called, the rule is in the book and could be enforced at any time by an umpire.

 

[riseball]

Dont know what rule set it is you are quoting but those arent ASA rule numbers, but, the ASA rule is essentially the same. The OP specifically states the batter stepped on the plate, not into the other batters box. Simply stepping on the plate is not an out unless the batter was swinging at the pitch and hit the ball.

Also, the rules of the game do not change because it is a timed game. ASA 5-4-E A forfeited game shall be declared by the umpire in favor of the team not at fault in the following cases: If a team employes tactics noticeably designed to delay or to hasten the game.

I have never seen nor heard of this particular rule being enforced. But, I have almost used it on one occasion with a coach who was being a real PITA and very vocally had a runner step off base long before the pitcher was even in position to pitch. While it is very unlikely to ever be called, the rule is in the book and could be enforced at any time by an umpire.

The ruleset was NCAA. However, the act of stepping off the bag or creation of an out at home plate by the action of the batter neither hastens nor delays the game. So the application of rule 5-4-E would be improper.