The Major Baseball League (MBL) has lost control. Batters go for a stroll between each pitch that is not batted. If the pitcher had any brains he would pitch quickly before the dopey batter returns. Travis Hafner currently does his thing with the Yankees by turning his back on the plate as he walks away. He wouldn't even notice the next pitch.
You say that would be a quick pitch, which is against the rules. Here is the rule:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2011/Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf
Rule 8.05(e) Comment: A quick pitch is an illegal pitch. Umpires will judge a quick pitch as one delivered before the batter is reasonably set in the batter’s box. With runners on base the penalty is a balk; with no runners on base, it is a ball. The quick pitch is dangerous and should not be permitted.
_________________________________________
Let's try a scenario. Obviously the batter is set before the first pitch. Let's say the batter takes the first pitch. Then the batter takes his stroll. Now here is the key point: the plate umpire never calls time. Never. The batter has abandoned his set position in the batter's box with no protection from the umpire. The pitcher can and should immediately throw his next pitch right down the middle and it should be called a strike. It's not dangerous because the batter is far away.
Of course, there would be the obligatory and colossally boring baseball argument involving both managers and the umpires. Hey, it's worth a try. There's always the extremely remote possibility that the umpire will force the batters to remain in the box until the plate appearance is complete.
For a more complete assessment of this and related rules:
Sunday, March 24, 2013
On The Clock.
No comments:
Post a Comment