Have a question about HBP. We had a player up to bat that is up on the plate. That is where he always is and that is the way he hits. The lefty pitcher hits our lefty batter in the hip with a pitch. Our batter is our leadoff batter and has it in his mind to "set the table" for the 2,3,4,5 hitters and his job is to get on base. He doesn`t move or really make an attempt to move. He gets hit and drops the bat and takes off to first. The plate umpire brings him back and says he has to make an attempt to get out of the way. Is that wrong or right? Thanks

That is exactly correct, and I (for one) wish more umpires would call it that way. I've seen a few HBP's in the ACC and SEC tournament that shouldn't have been awarded, in one case a batter rotated backwards so that his elbow pad got hit, in another a batter just stood there and watched a slow curve hit his foot. From the MLB rules (someone else can jump in and quote the NFHS rules):


6.08
The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when_ .....(b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (1) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched. APPROVED RULING: When the batter is touched by a pitched ball which does not entitle him to first base, the ball is dead and no runner may advance. ......

StyleMismatch,

Here is a response from PIAA Ump to a question I had on the college rule. It appears the ACC and SEC umps were correct.

"NCAA rule 8-2d A batter hit by a pitch is awarded first unless the pitch is a strike.

exception: the umpires should not award first to a batter "who intentionally gets touched by moving or rolling" into the pitch.

Also: A batter legally in the box does not have to avoid a pitch that is "clearly inside the vertical lines of the batters box... the ball is dead and the batter awarded first....NCAA feels if the batter is completely in the box and gets hit by a pitch, then it is the pitchers fault and the batter should be awarded first.."

OK, that accounts for the one who stood there and let the curve hit his foot. Another one clearly rotated so that his elbow stuck out and got grazed.

Another way the game has changed--guys would rather get hit by a soft pitch than swing the bat

Good hitters want to swing the bat not take a curve on the toe!!!!

I guess it depends on the team and the coach. I know of a college that has a station for HBP during practice. Another has told players to leave practice and also has taken players out of the game if they avoid a pitch.

So I would not necessarily accuse a player of being soft when they let the ball hit them. I definately would not call Don Baylor or Craig Biggio soft and I think they are 1 and 2 in major league history for HBP.

If the batter stood still, didnt move, I wouldnt award 1st base, especially on a slow curveball. If the batter twists, ect-- he gets 1st (a knowledgeable batter will move, knowing that he will still be hit)

quote:

Originally posted by archangel:
If the batter stood still, didnt move, I wouldnt award 1st base, especially on a slow curveball. If the batter twists, ect-- he gets 1st (a knowledgeable batter will move, knowing that he will still be hit)

This correct for HS and OBR. However the college rule says if the batter is hit inside the confines of the box then he doesn't have to a move at all. Just another quirk of the different ruling bodies.

quote:

If the batter twists, ect-- he gets 1st (a knowledgeable batter will move, knowing that he will still be hit)

Even if the pitch wouldn't have hit him but he turns just enough to let the pitch hit his elbow?

quote:

Good hitters want to swing the bat not take a curve on the toe!!!!

Laughed my head off at my son a while back - he got out of the way of a pitch but it still just barely grazed his shirt. Ump told him to take his base, son argued with ump that he didn't get hit.

So, to be clear...
It sounds like the major league rule is that the hitter needs to avoid the pitch, and the NCAA rule is that he does not.
Did I miss the High School rule on this?
(good discussion - I thought the hitter had to avoid the pitch at all levels)

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Solty:
So, to be clear...
It sounds like the major league rule is that the hitter needs to avoid the pitch, and the NCAA rule is that he does not.
Did I miss the High School rule on this?
(good discussion - I thought the hitter had to avoid the pitch at all levels)

Have you ever seen a MLB hitter kept at the plate after being hit by a pitch? I haven't. The reason is that the players police this kind of garbage at that level. If a pro hitter pulled a stunt like that they would see the next fastball they got in the middle of their back. The college rule is a good rule, I like the way it works.

Technically, the HS rule is that he must not allow the pitch to hit him, but that isn't the way it is officiated, at least around here. The way I officiate it is by erring on the side of caution and allowing a runner to take his base when he is hit by a fastball (what kid wants to be hit by a fastball?), when he is fooled by a curve (even if he doesn't move), or when he sees that it is inside and he rolls in to take the pitch on his back/butt instead of his face/chest/arms/gut. the situation where I keep a kid at the plate is when he tries to get hit by sticking his elbow out (the natural reaction is to tuck the elbow) or when his first move is away from the pitch and then he decides to lean back into the pitch. Those guys are trying to gain an advantage not allowed by the rules and I don't want them to get away with it.

There's a kid that played in my league that honestly averages getting hit at least every other game for the simple fact that he doesn't move. I saw an ump call it on him once and called the pitch a ball and made him get back in the box. The same kid did it to me this year did it with the bases loaded and 2 strikes. The ump gave him first base which didn't make me too happy.

quote:

Originally posted by nd943:
The same kid did it to me this year did it with the bases loaded and 2 strikes. The ump gave him first base which didn't make me too happy.

There are risks when pitching inside and missing too far in is one of them. If the pitch was too far in I can't fault him for being unable (unwilling) to avoid the pitch, unless his intent is to get hit, in which case I will enforce the applicable rule.

I wish all umps enforced this rule. It's one rarely called. It seems if the hitter is willing to get hit then he should be awarded for his ''courage'', or the way i would put it, stupidity. Anyone willing to take a fastball of the forearm, as this kid did, can't be thinking straight.

The HS rule is the same as pro. He has to attepmt to avoid. As always it is up to the judgemnet of the PU if he did or not. I train umps and their beliefs vary greatly. Many will send him on any attempt at all. Others will be more strict. I am of the latter group. IA number of years ago I was working SrLL allstars and called this three times in three games against the same team. The manager was quite unhappy with me.