Perhaps the question is this: Does the batter ever relinquish her right to swing at a pitch, assuming she never leaves the batter's box?
Here's the situation we were in this weekend.
Girls fast-pitch softball, 14 - 16 YO league.
Our pitcher hit her leg with her pitching arm and threw a ball that looked like it belonged in a men's slow pitch league. It had about a 12 foot arc and was going to land well short of the plate. Obviously not what she intended to throw.
As the batter watched the pitch, she came out of her batting stance and lowered her bat. Our catcher stood up, stepped forward onto the plate and caught the ball. The umpire called it a ball. When I spoke to our catcher after the inning she said it was obvious the batter wasn't going to swing, so she figured she would just catch the ball. I calmly instructed her not to do it again.
Should the umpire have called Catcher's Interference even though it was "obvious" that the batter had no intention of swinging at the pitch? Our catcher was certainly in the hitting zone when she caught the ball. Had it been our batter, I would have argued the call. Would I have won?
Here's the situation we were in this weekend.
Girls fast-pitch softball, 14 - 16 YO league.
Our pitcher hit her leg with her pitching arm and threw a ball that looked like it belonged in a men's slow pitch league. It had about a 12 foot arc and was going to land well short of the plate. Obviously not what she intended to throw.
As the batter watched the pitch, she came out of her batting stance and lowered her bat. Our catcher stood up, stepped forward onto the plate and caught the ball. The umpire called it a ball. When I spoke to our catcher after the inning she said it was obvious the batter wasn't going to swing, so she figured she would just catch the ball. I calmly instructed her not to do it again.
Should the umpire have called Catcher's Interference even though it was "obvious" that the batter had no intention of swinging at the pitch? Our catcher was certainly in the hitting zone when she caught the ball. Had it been our batter, I would have argued the call. Would I have won?
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