Dead Before the Plate?
Jim from Michigan asks:
A pitch is in the dirt and the batter offers but holds up his swing. It is a called strike but the batter says it was a dead ball before it got to plate. What's the call?
Even if the ball hits the dirt before arrive at the plate it is still a live ball. If the ball bounces in the dirt and then goes through the strike zone it is a ball but the batter is allowed swing at the ball and if he hits it it is just like he hit the ball in midair.
However, if the ball was dead (time was out) at the time of the pitch then it should be ruled a no pitch and the situation should be reset to what it was before the pitch.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Dead Balls