NFHS DH Rule Situation

[Guest NE UMP]

HS home team using a DH hitting in the 5th spot for the pitcher.  In the 4th inning the DH goes into a defensive position (LF).  Starting pitcher now has to bat for himself in the 9th spot.  Starting pitcher is replaced by a reliever in the 5th inning (relief pitcher now has to bat for himself in the 9th spot).  In the bottom of 6th inning the team reenters the starting pitcher as a pinch runner (only) for batter-runner F4 who is on 1st base (F4 hitting in the 6th spot).  At  the beginning of the 7th inning the starting pitcher is removed and F4 resumes defensive position.  Is this legal?  Since it happened after the DH went to a defensive position which eliminated the role of DH, can the starting pitcher (who was removed and now re-entering since he was a starter) enter as a pinch runner for anyone in the lineup as long as he doesn't bat, or only if he bats in the 9th spot of the order?

[AtlUmp]

In Fed the pitcher can't bat in the 9th spot. Because the DH and the starting pitcher occupy the same spot in the batting order only 1 of the 2 can be in the game at the same time and the starting pitcher, if pulled, would not be able to reenter for a different player.

Rule 3-1-4: "A designated hitter and the player for whom he is batting are locked into the batting order. No multiple substitutions may be made that will alter the batting rotation."

[Kevin_K]

The DH and the player he is hitting for cannot be on the field at the same time, nor can they both be batting (rule 3.1.4) When the DH entered the game in the 4th inning, the starting pitcher should have been removed, with re-entry rights as a starting player

• F1 cannot bat in the 9th position in the lineup as the original lineup had him in the 5th position. F1 and DH are both locked into that position in the batting order for the duration of the game.
• F1 cannot be a substitute (or pinch runner as you called it) for F4 who is batting in the 6th position; see above comment

Here is a casebook situation similar to your question

3.1.4 SITUATION C:

F4, for whom the DH is batting, pinch hits or pinch runs for the DH.

RULING: The DH position is eliminated for the remainder of the game. However, the starting DH could re-enter as a player but not in the role of DH. If he does re-enter, he must re-enter in the same position in the batting order, replacing F4.

 

So to answer your questions

• No
• No

All of the situations described in the OP should have been disallowed. Since they were not, when F1 appeared anywhere other than the 5th position in the batting order, he was an illegal substitute and should have been restricted to the bench fro the remainder of the game. The coach should be banished from baseball for making such a bonehead move.

[noumpere]

19 minutes ago, Guest NE UMP said:

HS home team using a DH hitting in the 5th spot for the pitcher.  In the 4th inning the DH goes into a defensive position (LF).  Starting pitcher now has to bat for himself in the 9th spot.  Starting pitcher is replaced by a reliever in the 5th inning (relief pitcher now has to bat for himself in the 9th spot).  In the bottom of 6th inning the team reenters the starting pitcher as a pinch runner (only) for batter-runner F4 who is on 1st base (F4 hitting in the 6th spot).  At  the beginning of the 7th inning the starting pitcher is removed and F4 resumes defensive position.  Is this legal?  Since it happened after the DH went to a defensive position which eliminated the role of DH, can the starting pitcher (who was removed and now re-entering since he was a starter) enter as a pinch runner for anyone in the lineup as long as he doesn't bat, or only if he bats in the 9th spot of the order?

This is a charlie-foxtrot all the way around.

First, as AtlUmp states, under NFHS rules the starting F1 (who is being DH'd for) cannot bat in the 9th spot when the DH goes in on defense.

Second, even if you were using OBR (which would have F1 bat in place of the replaced F7), the starting F1 could only re-enter in that spot in the line-up -- not in a different spot for F4.

[Guest Coach]

A pitcher who has a dh is removed from the game. Can the dh go into the field if pitcher is replaced by position player already in lineup?

[Jimurray]

3 hours ago, Guest Coach said:

A pitcher who has a dh is removed from the game. Can the dh go into the field if pitcher is replaced by position player already in lineup?

Can’t think of any code this would not be allowed other then possibly an illegal reentry. What rule in what code do you think was violated?

[Richvee]

5 hours ago, Guest Coach said:

A pitcher who has a dh is removed from the game. Can the dh go into the field if pitcher is replaced by position player already in lineup?

Yes. The starting pitcher is now on the bench with reentry rights. The DH position is eliminated. If the starting pitcher re enters  the game at any defensive position, he would have to replace the above mentioned former DH. The starting pitcher and the starting DH are locked in their spot in the batting order. Once that starting DH takes a fielding position only   one of those two ( the starting pitcher and the starting DH) can be in the game at any given time. 

[maven]

14 hours ago, Guest Coach said:

A pitcher who has a dh is removed from the game. Can the dh go into the field if pitcher is replaced by position player already in lineup?

If that's all that happened, yes.

The way to think about the FED DH rule is to think of every lineup spot as having an offensive and defensive role. Normally, both roles are played by the same player, but the DH rule allows one designated spot to be split between 2 players.

The DH is terminated—and subsequently both roles must thereafter be played by a single player, like the rest of the lineup spots—when either the DH plays defense or the fielder in that spot plays offense.

So in your play, when the DH plays defense, he now owns that lineup spot to himself, playing both offensive and defensive roles. The pitcher is out of the game and may re-enter in the same lineup spot (like a sub for the ex-DH), and then he would play both roles.

And although F1 has some special restrictions, the "defensive role" of a lineup spot merely means "plays a role on defense." You can move fielders around to any defensive position, regardless of lineup spot.

[maven]