Throwing The Bat

[BT_Blue]

On 9/18/2016 at 5:41 PM, JaxRolo said:

I was working a 14u tournament today. Partner had plate.

Batter threw his bat. Partner called him out.

That's cause you are in Florida. And we all know that Florida is the Wild... er... East(?) when it comes to baseball rules. Heck, they use the P/DH (sort of) rule from NCAA for high school ball.

[Jake Reimers]

I have one for you... Our player hit a home run to tie the game with 2 outs in the last inning. The umpire called him out without a warning and ended the game. What is the rule for this situation. As far I know he at the very most cam eject the player after he crosses the plate but the run still counts. In this instance he called him out and ended the game.

[ErichKeane]

36 minutes ago, Jake Reimers said:

I have one for you... Our player hit a home run to tie the game with 2 outs in the last inning. The umpire called him out without a warning and ended the game. What is the rule for this situation. As far I know he at the very most cam eject the player after he crosses the plate but the run still counts. In this instance he called him out and ended the game.

The answer to that depends on the rule set.  What league/division/ruleset were you playing under?

[The Man in Blue]

This is an interesting thread that I am sorry I had never seen before.  I know this comment is late and it looks like the person who posted it didn't stay here long, but I'd like to bring up a tangential point.

IF you are deviating from the book WITH blessings ... meaning the coaches agree at the beginning or your local league has a house rule ... make sure you understand what it means.

If everybody agrees the batter is going to be called out, that seems fine on face value BUT we saw the problem: WHEN is the batter called out at what happens to everybody else?  Is it an immediate dead ball and action is nullified, or is it a delayed dead ball and the penalty is assessed after the action.  I can absolutely agree with the coach making an argument that his other two runners should have scored.

If I was still running my local rec program, I would take that "bat jail" rule and make a tweak to it ... I would allow the player to still play on defense but not allow them to bat.  I would even consider compressing the lineup instead of requiring the out.

[The Man in Blue]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:19 AM, Jake Reimers said:

I have one for you... Our player hit a home run to tie the game with 2 outs in the last inning. The umpire called him out without a warning and ended the game. What is the rule for this situation. As far I know he at the very most cam eject the player after he crosses the plate but the run still counts. In this instance he called him out and ended the game.

What did the batter do?  This is where I have a problem with "bat throwing" rules: what does throwing the bat mean?  "Throwing" to me is a deliberate action, so does intent matter?

In all of these cases, a bat flies uncontrolled through the air ... which ones apply?

• Releasing on the follow through so the bat goes towards the catcher or umpire?  What if it goes towards the on deck hitter?
• Flipping the bat after a home run?
• Releasing on the swing so the bat lands in fair or foul territory beyond the batter?
• Next batter throws the previous batter's bat towards the dugout?  (THIS, to me, is the bigger safety hazard.)

Rulemakers need to examine what action(s) they are trying to prevent or discourage and what an appropriate penalty would be.

[Coach J]

What is the difference in a thrown bat, which is thrown after the batter hits the ball, and a bat that slips from a kids hand while swinging?

One of my kids was given a thrown bat warning when the bat slipped out of his hand. He was then called out later after actually throwing it after a hit.

Should a kid get a thrown bat warning if it is a bat that slips out of his hand during the swing? And I do understand the safety issues with either.

[Velho]

5 hours ago, Coach J said:

What is the difference in a thrown bat, which is thrown after the batter hits the ball, and a bat that slips from a kids hand while swinging?

One of my kids was given a thrown bat warning when the bat slipped out of his hand. He was then called out later after actually throwing it after a hit.

Should a kid get a thrown bat warning if it is a bat that slips out of his hand during the swing? And I do understand the safety issues with either.

Welcome @Coach J. Look forward to having you on the site.

What age and rule set was this under?

Assuming 1) the bat is going into foul territory, 2) no malicious intent, and 3) we're not talking a showboat bat flip, there isn't really a difference. It's a safety issue both ways (as you said) and needs to be addressed.

If the bat is going into fair territory, regardless of intent, then the batter can be possibly be out for interference.

I can speak to Little League ("LL"): there is no provision for being called out on throwing the bat. It's a well worn myth. Local leagues can adopt their own rules or umpires/coaches can agree that maybe Johnny shouldn't batter anymore today but it's not a written rule.

[Senor Azul]

2019 FED Case Book play 3.3.1 Situation CC:  After hitting a line drive toward F5, B1 releases the bat, which strikes F2 or the umpire. The act was judged by the umpire to be (a) intentional or (b) unintentional. RULING:  In (a) and (b), this is a delayed dead-ball situation. In (a), the offender will be ejected from the game. If his fair hit ball is a base hit, he will be replaced with a substitute runner. In (b), the umpire will warn the coach of that player’s team that the next player on that team to violate the rule shall be ejected from the game.

2019 FED Case Book play 3.3.1 Situation LL:  With Team B at bat (a) B1 receives ball four and on his way to first base, B1 carelessly flips the bat toward his bench, almost hitting the on-deck batter, or (b) after hitting a ground ball to F5, B1 flips the bat behind him as he begins his advance to first base and the bat strikes F2, or (c) F1, while backing up home plate, picks up a bat and tosses it out of the way, but in doing so almost hits the plate umpire. RULING:  In (a), (b) and (c), the umpire shall issue a team warning to the head coach of the player committing the infraction. (3-3-1c)

[Rich Ives]

On 6/8/2022 at 12:26 PM, The Man in Blue said:

What did the batter do?  This is where I have a problem with "bat throwing" rules: what does throwing the bat mean?  "Throwing" to me is a deliberate action, so does intent matter?

In all of these cases, a bat flies uncontrolled through the air ... which ones apply?

• Releasing on the follow through so the bat goes towards the catcher or umpire?  What if it goes towards the on deck hitter?
• Flipping the bat after a home run?
• Releasing on the swing so the bat lands in fair or foul territory beyond the batter?
• Next batter throws the previous batter's bat towards the dugout?  (THIS, to me, is the bigger safety hazard.)

Rulemakers need to examine what action(s) they are trying to prevent or discourage and what an appropriate penalty would be.

How about CATCHER throws the previous batter's bat either to clear the area or just to the dugout after the play is over?  Then what?

What if the umpire throws it?

 

[MadMax]

There are 3 Made-Up-$h!t “Rules” that need to be eradicated from the amateur game (I stress amateur, because they will never be called in a professional game). Each and every umpire, or aspiring umpire, needs to hear these recanted, ad nauseum, and commit to never calling any of these themselves: 

1. A dead-ball HBT attempt is a Balk (ie. Unless the ball is Live, it is neither a Balk nor an Out. It is nothing). 
2. High-fiving or otherwise being congratulated by a Runner’s (or BR’s) coaches or teammates is grounds for being called Out (ie. This is never an Out). 
3. A “flung / slung bat” is an Out (ie. This is never an Out call. Warning - certainly. Ejection - possibly. But never an Out. Any “local league” that institutes this is chicken $h!t, and shouldn’t be a league).

[Lou B]

Outs are specifically described in the rules (OBR, etc) and throwing the bat is not one of them.