A little rusty - blown call?

[catoblue]

After a year away from umpiiring, had my first game last night (LL Majors). Mechanics a bit rusty - things like rushing my ball/strike calls, not getting down to 3B quick enough, general things that improve with doing more games. However, I did well enough that both teams have already contacted me for games next week (text messages at 6AM?). I had one call that I'm pretty sure I blew, but can't find it in the LL rule book or RIM, so I'm looking for a reference (which rule) to set myself straight (please, no OBR or FED references).

 

I had a batter swing at a pitch and make contact, the ball bounced off the batter's foot (while still in the box) and rolled into fair territory. I called it a fair ball, but the more I think about it, I'm pretty sure I should have called it foul. I think where I confused things is that I know the batter is protected from being called out for INT while in the box, but am pretty sure it should have been called foul. I just want to be positive instead of pretty sure.

 

I looked at the definition of foul ball - nada. Looked through rule 6 and couldn't find anything there either. Can someone point me to the rule?

[Mike Prince]

Batted ball hits batter in the box = foul.

 

The majority of the box is in foul ground, so what you have is a batted ball hitting the B/R in foul ground, that's the rule which applies here.

[cyclonehokiece]

Any time a batted ball hits a batter in the box, it is immediately foul.

[catoblue]

Thanks guys. I was pretty sure - after the fact, that I kicked the call. To make absolutely certain, I'm looking for a specific rule to reference. Can anyone cite a rule or combination of rules that cover this?

[HeadHunterLA]

Thanks guys. I was pretty sure - after the fact, that I kicked the call. To make absolutely certain, I'm looking for a specific rule to reference. Can anyone cite a rule or combination of rules that cover this?

Hmmmm 2.0 A FOUL BALL is a batted ball that settles on foul territory between home and first base, or between home and third base, or that bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or that first falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or that, while on or over foul territory, touches the person of an umpire or player, or any object foreign to the natural ground.

[sdix00]

I know you didn't want an OBR rule, but you need it here.   This is why. 

 

Prior to 2011(?), 6.05(g) in the OBR read just like the current LL equivalent. However, The interpretation manuals clarified and instructed umpires specifically to call any batted ball foul that contacted a batter or his bat while the batter was in his legal position in the batter's box.  So it was a rule by interp.  Also, LL did not include this instruction in their RIM, so umpires followed the PBUC/MLB interp. 

 

in 2011/2012, the interp was written in to the rule and it reads:

 

6.05(g)

 

His fair ball touches him before touching a fielder. If the batter is in a legal position

in the batter’s box, see Rule 6.03, and, in the umpire’s judgment, there was no

intention to interfere with the course of the ball, a batted ball that strikes the batter

or his bat shall be ruled a foul ball;

 

 

 

 

LL will presumably adopt the edited rule, however for now umpires should follow the enforcement guidelines of PBUC since LL has published no guidelines in the RIM, Make the Right Call, or otherwise.. 

 

It CERTAINLY should NOT be treated differently in LL. 

[catoblue]

 

Thanks guys. I was pretty sure - after the fact, that I kicked the call. To make absolutely certain, I'm looking for a specific rule to reference. Can anyone cite a rule or combination of rules that cover this?

Hmmmm 2.0 A FOUL BALL is a batted ball that settles on foul territory between home and first base, or between home and third base, or that bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or that first falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or that, while on or over foul territory, touches the person of an umpire or player, or any object foreign to the natural ground.

 

Close...as most of the batter's box is in foul, but that front inside part is not. so if the batter has is front foot in fair, while in the box, and if that fot is what the ball hits, then according to 2.0, it would be a fair ball, or with 6.05(f), an out. We all know that it's a foul ball, and I finally came up with references...

 

I did a whole bunch of digging while waiting for replies, and came up with the following: There is a note in the RIM that is pulled from "The Right Call", which touches on it, and if you cross reference LL with OBR, LL's 6.05(f) maps to OBR 6.05(g). Problem being that LL for some reason decided to shorten the verbage.

 

OBR 6.05(g) reads: His fair ball touches him before touching a fielder. If the batter is in a legal position in the batters box, see Rule 6.03, and in the umpire's judgment, there was no intention to interfere with the course of the ball. a batted ball that strikes the batter or his bat shall be ruled foul;

 

Whereas, LL cut it down in 6.05(f) to simply read: a fair ball touches said batter before touching a fielder:

 

 

No why LL removed the rest of the verbage is beyond me, but between cross-referencing with OBR (which is the closest rule set to LL) and the note in the RIM referencing "The Right Call" I at least have something more concrete than common knowledge to go on.

[catoblue]

I know you didn't want an OBR rule, but you need it here.   This is why. 

 

Prior to 2011(?), 6.05(g) in the OBR read just like the current LL equivalent. However, The interpretation manuals clarified and instructed umpires specifically to call any batted ball foul that contacted a batter or his bat while the batter was in his legal position in the batter's box.  So it was a rule by interp.  Also, LL did not include this instruction in their RIM, so umpires followed the PBUC/MLB interp. 

 

in 2011/2012, the interp was written in to the rule and it reads:

 

6.05(g)

 

His fair ball touches him before touching a fielder. If the batter is in a legal position

in the batter’s box, see Rule 6.03, and, in the umpire’s judgment, there was no

intention to interfere with the course of the ball, a batted ball that strikes the batter

or his bat shall be ruled a foul ball;

 

 

 

 

LL will presumably adopt the edited rule, however for now umpires should follow the enforcement guidelines of PBUC since LL has published no guidelines in the RIM, Make the Right Call, or otherwise.. 

 

It CERTAINLY should NOT be treated differently in LL. 

thanks sdix00, that clarifies it quite a bit - especially the "why" it is written differently in the LL rules. I try to steer clear of MLB interpretation books (i.e. PBUC) as references, because most of us strictly LL volunteers don't have access to them. We don't belong to an association or anything and simply volunteer so that the kids can have games. The 2013 RIM, does make note of an interp that covers this in a way not as direct as the wording of OBR 6.05(g) in "The Right Call", which the league provides to our volunteer umps. I had one years ago and don't know what happened to it - have been relying on the RIM for the last several years.

 

Thanks guys for all the input and feedback. I'll probably work several more games over the next month and a half. Maybe by the end of the season I'll have gotten rid of the rest of the rust