You
are presented with a situation that actually occurred or might occur in a game. To play along,
decide how you would rule or score. Then click the button to find out what either the
umpires or the official scorer actually decided.
Batted Ball Hits Foul, Rolls Fair
Situation: The batter takes a big swing but hits the ball off the end of his bat. The ball lands in foul territory between home and 1B, then spins into fair ground, where the first baseball picks it up and steps on the bag ahead of the batter, who stayed in the box.
Is the batter out?
Reference: Knotty Problems of Baseball,The Sporting News, 1979
P Catches Ball on 1B's Foot
Situation: Game 7 1934 World Series. Bottom of 9th; Charlie Gehringer on first for Detroit with 0 outs; St. Louis behind Dizzy Dean leading 10-0
Goose Goslin hits a grounder to Rip Collins at 1B. Rip throws to SS Leo Durocher to force Gehringer at second. Collins moves to the 1B bag to receive Durocher's return throw, but Dean cuts in front of Rip and catches the ball with his foot on top of Collins' foot on the bag just before Goslin tags first.
Is it a double play?
Infield Fly Not Called
Situation: Teenage summer league game in New Orleans. Bottom of the last inning. Tie score. Bases loaded. One out.
The batter hits a popup between the mound and 3B. No umpire calls infield fly. The pitcher and 3B collide, and the ball drops fair. The runner from third heads home. The 3B throws to the C, who is standing on the plate before the runner arrives.
The umpires rule the game is over because the C did not tag the runner.
Situation: Bottom of eighth, bases loaded with Ian Rodriguez on second and Nyjer Morgan on first. Willie Harris at bat.
Harris smacks a double. The runners on second and third score easily. Morgan roars home and tries to knock down C Bryan Anderson. Iin so doing, Morgan misses home plate but does avoid Anderson's tag. Rodriguez, having just scored, grabs Morgan and pushes him back toward home plate, which Nyjer touches before Anderson can tag him.
Reference: "Baseball Rules Corner," Rich Marazzi, Baseball Digest, March/April 2011 Top of Page
Batter Interference
Situation: Seventh game of the 1965 World Series. Bottom of third, one out. Zoilo Versailes of Minnesota is on first. Joe Nossek is at bat against Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers.
Versailles takes off with the pitch. Nossek swings and misses.
C John Roseboro's peg to second is too late.
However, home plate umpire Ed Hurley rules that Nossek interfered with Roseboro's throw.
The pitch hits the ground in front of home plate. Then the batter foul-tips the ball into the mitt of the C. Is the batter out?
Reference: "Rule Review," Rich Marazzi, USA Today Sports Weekly, April 6-12, 2011 Top of Page
Throws Glove at Foul Ball
The batter hits a foul ball that rolls toward the dugout. The 1B throws his glove at the ball. The glove makes contact with the ball about 3 feet from the dugout.
Reference: "Rule Review," Rich Marazzi, USA Today Sports Weekly, April 6-12, 2011 Top of Page
HR after Balk Call
Situation: Runner on 1B.
As he delivers the ball, the P is called for a balk because he did not come to a complete stop in his set position. The batter swings and hits a HR.
Reference: "Rule Review," Rich Marazzi, USA Today Sports Weekly, April 6-12, 2011 Top of Page
Minor Obstruction of Runner
Situation: Runner on 1B with no outs.
The runner is off with the pitch which eludes the C and goes to the backstop. The SS goes to 2B to take a throw and bumps the runner as he rounds second to head to third. The C's throw to 3rd easily beats the runner, who is called out.
Reference: "Baseball Rules Corner," Rich Marazzi, Baseball Digest, September/October 2010 Top of Page
Batter Out on Foul Pop Hit by Throw
Situation: Runner on first, none out.
The runner is off with the pitch on a hit-and-run.
The batter swings and hits a low pop up which the C grabs for the out in foul territory behind the plate.
Seeing the runner far off first, the C fires toward the bag, but the ball hits the batter who is sprinting down the three-foot lane and bounces into the 1B dugout.
Reference: "Baseball Rules Corner," Rich Marazzi, Baseball Digest September/October 2010 Top of Page
Bunts with Foot Out of Box
Situation
The batter stands deep in the box as the P prepares to deliver the pitch.
When the pitch is thrown, the batter extends his back foot on the ground outside the batter's box and bunts the ball foul.
True or false?
The home plate umpire should call the batter out for making contact with the ball with a foot completely out of the batter's box even though the ball went foul.
Reference: "Baseball Rules Corner," Rich Marazzi, Baseball Digest, May/June 2011 Top of Page
Who Gets the Error?
Situation: Game 4 1934 World Series, Detroit at St. Louis. Top of 4th: Jo-Jo White on first with one out.
White steals second and, seeing C Bill DeLancey's peg go into CF, heads for third. The throw from CF Ernie Orsatti arrives at 3B in time to nip White, but 3B Pepper Martin loses control of the ball as he tries to tag White, allowing him to be safe.
How is the play scored? In particular, who is charged with an error on the play?
Situation: Two outs, bases loaded, 3-and-2 count on the batter.
All runners break with the pitch. The batter strikes out, but te ball sails past the C and lodges in the umpire's mask. Before the ball is extracted, three runners cross the plate. Do the runs count?
Reference: Knotty Problems of Baseball,The Sporting News, 1979 Top of Page
Home Team Bat First?
Situation: The starting P for the home club is late arriving at the park. As a result, his manager tells the umpire that he wants his team to bat first in the game.
Is this allowed?
Reference: Knotty Problems of Baseball,The Sporting News, 1979 Top of Page
3rd Strike Bounces off Shinguard
Situation: With two strikes on the batter, the pitcher delivers a knuckleball.
The batter swings and misses, but the C also misses the fluttering ball, which strikes the top of his shinguard and bounces into the air. The C then nabs the ball on the fly. Must the C tag the batter or throw to first to complete the strikeout?
Reference: "Rule Review," Rich Marazzi, USA Today Sports Weekly, April 6-12, 2011 Top of Page