Know Your Rules
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Runner Hit By A Thrown Ball
A runner who is hit with a thrown ball is not out unless the contact with the ball is intentional by the runner. A runner hit by a batted ball is another story. If a runner is hit by a fair batted ball before it passes or is touched by any infielder other than the pitcher, the runner is out and the play is dead. No runners may score or advance unless forced by the play to go to the next base.
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Three Foot Running Lane
In running the last half of the distance between Home base and first base while the ball is being fielded to first base. the runner runs outside of the 3 foot line, and in the umpire's judgement, interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first, or attempting to field a batted ball, the runner is out. To be considered inside the running lane, both of the runners feet must be inside of or on the lines marking the 3 foot line.
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Suspended Game- Completed Game
A game can be completed after it has reached regulation length. In 6 inning games, regulation length is 3 1/2 innings with the home team leading or 4 innings with the visiting team leading. In 7 inning games, regulation length is 4 1/2 innings with the home team leading or 5 innings with the visiting team leading.
A game shall be considered a suspended game if after reaching regulation length, the game is called while an inning is in progress, and before it is completed, and one of the following situations prevails.
a) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score and the home team has not scored.
b) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead.
Any situation other than these shall warrant a completed game and shall be listed in the standings as such.
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Batting Out Of Order
When a team has batted out of order the following scenarios will help you to determine what happens. First of all, keep in mind that just because a pitch is thrown to a batter who is out of order does not mean they are automatically out.
Scenario #1
#3 should be at bat but #4 bats instead. If either team catches the mistake before #4 completes the at bat and reports it to the umpire, #4 will be removed and #3 will come up to bat with nobody called out. #3 will continue the at bat that #4 started with the balls and strikes remaining at whatever they were when #4 was removed.
Scenario #2
#3 should be up to bat but #4 bats instead. Neither team has caught the mistake. #4 gets on base whether by hitting the ball or a walk. Before a pitch is thrown to the next batter one of the teams catches the mistake and reports it to the umpire.
RULING:
#3 is called out for not batting in order. #4 is removed from the base and #4 now comes to bat again in his regular spot.
Scenario #3
#3 should be up to bat but #4 bats instead. Neither team has caught the mistake. #4 gets on base whether by hitting the ball or a walk. After a pitch is thrown to the next batter one of the teams catches the mistake and reports it to the umpire.
RULING:
Since the mistake was not caught until after a pitch was thrown to the next batter, nobody is out. #4 became the legal batter and will remain on base. #5 will now be the legal batter and #3 was simply skipped over.
Keep in mind that mistakes must be caught before a pitch is thrown to the next batter. Otherwise, things continue as if there was no batting out of order.
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A FOUL TIP
is a batted ball that goes sharp and direct from the bat to the catchers hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play. It is not a catch if it is a rebound, unless the ball first touches the catchers glove or hand.
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AN INFIELD FLY
is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second, and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher, and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.
When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare "Infield Fly" for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare Infield Fly, If Fair".
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit is a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul ball.
If a Declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing either first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly and the batter is out.
On the Infield Fly rule, the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been caught by an infielder--(NOT by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass or the baseline). Even balls caught by an outfielder, near the infield can be considered an infield fly if in the umpires judgement the ball could have been easily handled by an infielder.
The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpires judgement must govern. No protests shall be granted regarding the Infield Fly Rule.
When an Infield Fly is called, runners may advance at their own risk. Any force plays no longer exist and runners must be tagged to be out, with the exception of a runner leaving a base before a ball is caught. If on an Infield Fly Rule the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play and the infield fly rule takes precedence over any other rule.
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HOME PLATE...Fair or Foul?
Yes, Home Plate is in fair territory. The baselines run from the back point of home plate down either foul line. Therefore, a batted ball that hits the plate and bounces into fair territory is a fair ball. A batted ball that hits the plate and goes into foul territory before passing either first or third base is a foul ball. A batted ball that somehow stays on home plate is also a fair ball. The only exception to this is if the ball that hits the plate then hits the batter or again hits the bat while the batter is in the batters box, the ball is foul no matter where it ends up on the field.
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OFFENSIVE INTERFERENCE
is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs,impedes,hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire declares the batter-runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgement of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference. In the event the batter-runner has not reached first base, all runners shall return to the base last occupied at the time of the pitch.
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OBSTRUCTION
is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.
If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered "in the act of fielding the ball". It is entirely up to the judgement of the umpire as the whether a fielder is in the act of fielding the ball. After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be considered to be "in the act of fielding the ball."
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THE STRIKE ZONE
is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the knee cap. The strike zone shall be determined from the batters stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball. If any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone, the pitch shall be considered a strike.
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A runner who is hit with a thrown ball is not out unless the contact with the ball is intentional by the runner. A runner hit by a batted ball is another story. If a runner is hit by a fair batted ball before it passes or is touched by any infielder other than the pitcher, the runner is out and the play is dead. No runners may score or advance unless forced by the play to go to the next base.
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Three Foot Running Lane
In running the last half of the distance between Home base and first base while the ball is being fielded to first base. the runner runs outside of the 3 foot line, and in the umpire's judgement, interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first, or attempting to field a batted ball, the runner is out. To be considered inside the running lane, both of the runners feet must be inside of or on the lines marking the 3 foot line.
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Suspended Game- Completed Game
A game can be completed after it has reached regulation length. In 6 inning games, regulation length is 3 1/2 innings with the home team leading or 4 innings with the visiting team leading. In 7 inning games, regulation length is 4 1/2 innings with the home team leading or 5 innings with the visiting team leading.
A game shall be considered a suspended game if after reaching regulation length, the game is called while an inning is in progress, and before it is completed, and one of the following situations prevails.
a) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to tie the score and the home team has not scored.
b) The visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not tied the score or retaken the lead.
Any situation other than these shall warrant a completed game and shall be listed in the standings as such.
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Batting Out Of Order
When a team has batted out of order the following scenarios will help you to determine what happens. First of all, keep in mind that just because a pitch is thrown to a batter who is out of order does not mean they are automatically out.
Scenario #1
#3 should be at bat but #4 bats instead. If either team catches the mistake before #4 completes the at bat and reports it to the umpire, #4 will be removed and #3 will come up to bat with nobody called out. #3 will continue the at bat that #4 started with the balls and strikes remaining at whatever they were when #4 was removed.
Scenario #2
#3 should be up to bat but #4 bats instead. Neither team has caught the mistake. #4 gets on base whether by hitting the ball or a walk. Before a pitch is thrown to the next batter one of the teams catches the mistake and reports it to the umpire.
RULING:
#3 is called out for not batting in order. #4 is removed from the base and #4 now comes to bat again in his regular spot.
Scenario #3
#3 should be up to bat but #4 bats instead. Neither team has caught the mistake. #4 gets on base whether by hitting the ball or a walk. After a pitch is thrown to the next batter one of the teams catches the mistake and reports it to the umpire.
RULING:
Since the mistake was not caught until after a pitch was thrown to the next batter, nobody is out. #4 became the legal batter and will remain on base. #5 will now be the legal batter and #3 was simply skipped over.
Keep in mind that mistakes must be caught before a pitch is thrown to the next batter. Otherwise, things continue as if there was no batting out of order.
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A FOUL TIP
is a batted ball that goes sharp and direct from the bat to the catchers hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play. It is not a catch if it is a rebound, unless the ball first touches the catchers glove or hand.
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AN INFIELD FLY
is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second, and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher, and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.
When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare "Infield Fly" for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare Infield Fly, If Fair".
The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit is a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul ball.
If a Declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing either first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly and the batter is out.
On the Infield Fly rule, the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been caught by an infielder--(NOT by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass or the baseline). Even balls caught by an outfielder, near the infield can be considered an infield fly if in the umpires judgement the ball could have been easily handled by an infielder.
The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpires judgement must govern. No protests shall be granted regarding the Infield Fly Rule.
When an Infield Fly is called, runners may advance at their own risk. Any force plays no longer exist and runners must be tagged to be out, with the exception of a runner leaving a base before a ball is caught. If on an Infield Fly Rule the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play and the infield fly rule takes precedence over any other rule.
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HOME PLATE...Fair or Foul?
Yes, Home Plate is in fair territory. The baselines run from the back point of home plate down either foul line. Therefore, a batted ball that hits the plate and bounces into fair territory is a fair ball. A batted ball that hits the plate and goes into foul territory before passing either first or third base is a foul ball. A batted ball that somehow stays on home plate is also a fair ball. The only exception to this is if the ball that hits the plate then hits the batter or again hits the bat while the batter is in the batters box, the ball is foul no matter where it ends up on the field.
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OFFENSIVE INTERFERENCE
is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs,impedes,hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire declares the batter-runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgement of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference. In the event the batter-runner has not reached first base, all runners shall return to the base last occupied at the time of the pitch.
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OBSTRUCTION
is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.
If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered "in the act of fielding the ball". It is entirely up to the judgement of the umpire as the whether a fielder is in the act of fielding the ball. After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be considered to be "in the act of fielding the ball."
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THE STRIKE ZONE
is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the knee cap. The strike zone shall be determined from the batters stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball. If any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone, the pitch shall be considered a strike.
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