Worst rule in softball: Dropped Third Strike?

[MVLA Softball]

Good question. I never considered the rationale of the dropped third strike rule. Wikipedia is usually my preferred source for covering my lack of knowledge. I thought I would be enlightened after reading its account, but it is just OK. I pasted the relevant paragraph below:

"One intent of this rule is to ensure that a defensive player fields the ball cleanly in order for that team to record an out. It was thought that it is not enough that the offensive player is unsuccessful in order for an out to be made; a defensive player must be successful as well. Interestingly, the uncaught third strike rule goes all the way back to 1845 and the famous New York Knickerbockers' (rule #11)."

One problem with this justification of the rule is that the defensive players can be VERY successful and still have to throw the ball to first. For example, the pitcher throws a drop pich that is so effective that the batter swings at a ball in the dirt, with the catcher then catching the short hop cleanly. Both the pitcher and the catcher successfully executed their required skills. Yet, the batter is not out.
Youtube has a clip of a "homerun" on such a play, because the defense did not seem to know the DTS rule.

Youtube - "Dropped" third strike homerun

 

[shockcoach]

The history in the DTS rule is that they don't want to call an out on an error by the catcher. The out comes when the play is clean and the 3rd strike is caught, or else you have to tag or get them out at 1st.

With my daughter being a 10U pitcher, I'm not a huge fan of it right now. Last weekend five 3rd strike calls went right through the wickets of my catchers. I have 2 girls with great change ups but I can't have them throw it with 2 strikes, cus my catchers have issues catching it.

That's one nice thing about our USSSA tournaments around here. No DTS rule at 10U & no advance on overthrows by the catcher. While this stifles the offensive stealing, it allows your catchers to grow and gain confidence by throwing down to 2nd. You're not allowed to steal home, either. You have to be hit in or forced in. They do go by the book in championship play, however.

 

[FJRGerry]

I like the rule for the older girls, say 12U & above for travel level & 14U & above for rec level. It adds another level of competitiveness & excitement to the game.

 

[amanda_cake]

This is one of the things that I'm worried about tremendously with the 10U team I am helping with. There is no returning catcher, therefore we have two total newbies. We do have a couple of experienced pitchers and we worry about our catchers. Behind every good pitcher stands a good catcher and we are lacking in that department. With the dropped third strike rule, we might get killed by that.

 

[sluggers]

Basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, hockey, etc. are battle games--two teams on the field at the same time fighting each other.

cricket/baseball/softball/rounders is based on a raid instead of a battle--that is where the funny names come from. A player goes from a safe spot to another safe spot, and then goes home. The game is asymmetrical--the number of players on the field for the defense is different than the number of players for the offense. The asymmetry of the game results in a number of very odd rules all designed to provide some balance. Asymmetrical games like baseball/softball are very, very rare.

Outs are made only when the ball is controlled by the defense. If the ball is not controlled by the defense, the offensive players can move as they want.

 

[MTR]

The rule probably comes from the precursor to american baseball, which is Rounders where the striker ran after a particular number of opportunities (3, I believe) to hit the ball whether or not they actually hit it.

Softball did NOT adopt this originally. Such a rule does not exist in the 1936 Softball Official Rules.

 

[BretMan]

That's interesting. So, they "kept it simple" at first, then made their rule more "baseball-like" sometime after that. I wonder what prompted that change?

The 1845 Knickerbocker Rules, generally regarded as the basis of modern baseball rules, definitely had a version of this rule in place. You're probably right about this rule evolving from the older game of Rounders, which is known to have existed at least 100 years before the Knickerbocker Rules were crafted.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Little League Softball has finally adopted the rule for Majors (12U) this year (along with stealing on the release of the pitch). I personally like the rule as it forces coaches to develop catchers. In rec leagues, it is typical for coaches to throw a kid behind the plate for an inning or two and not teach the position. My daughter played travel in 10U last year, and while it was initially hard to get the kids used to the rule, by the end of the year the catchers (and batters) reacted to the DTS like it was second nature. It adds a level of competitiveness and skill that even the boys in Little League do not have at the same age level.

 

[Mike]

Last year 10-u I didn't like it so much. This year 12-u I don't mind it, the difference is we have an outstanding catcher. I don't mind the pitcher throwing the change for the 3rd strike anymore. Guess i'm wishy washy. I still would be in favor of abolishing the rule though.
Good to have you on here Bretman.
Offensively I some teams tell there batters to run on the third strike regardless of whether is was dropped or not, example: last year at 10-U, 1 out runner at 1st our catcher dropped the third strike, new not to throw because of the runner at first. Batter takes off so does the runner at first, good intentioned parents start yelling to throw, in a panic she does and over throws. long story short, batter/runner was called out, but in the confunsion the runner at first ended up scoring and the run was allowed. I tell our batters to worry about hitting the ball and to run only if its dropped, does that make sense, am I missing something.

Is having them run regardless of it being dropped or not against the rules, allowed, good play, bush.....

Mike

 

[BretMan]

I can speak to the two rule sets I'm most familiar with, ASA and NFHS/high school. Both have a rule that says it's not a violation for a retired batter to head to first on a third strike when she's not entitled to.

Generally, for all rule sets, if a batter or runner continues to run after being put out, that in itself is not a rule violation or interference. If that retired player gets in the way of a throw or runs into a fielder, and that prevents the defense from making a play, then it can become interference. But it's not interference just because the defense makes an unecessary throw to "retire" this already retired player. It's not interference until the retired player actually interferes with something- an opportunity or attempt by the defense to get an out on another runner who is still active.