Does the batter have to move for a throw to third?
No. A righty who stays in the box and holds still isn't interfering, even if the catcher has to throw around him. If he steps toward the plate, leans over it or falls across it after a swing, he's out.
A right-handed batter doesn’t have to get out of the box, duck or hit the dirt to give the catcher a clear throw to third. That surprises a lot of us, particularly the coaches in the other dugout. If he stays where he is and doesn’t move into the throw, there’s no interference. The ball can even hit him.
The runner on second takes off for third with a righty at the plate. The catcher comes up throwing with the batter standing between him and the bag, and the ball sails into left field. The other coach wants the batter out.
Whether he gets his way depends on what the batter did.
The catcher has to get around the batter. He can step up the line or step behind him, whatever it takes, and that’s why catchers practice the throw to third.
What makes it interference. It’s movement that gets in the way. Stepping toward the plate after the pitch counts, and so does leaning over the plate to watch the runner. Stepping back out of the box into the catcher’s path counts too, and so does turning to look and drifting with it. The umpire isn’t asking whether the batter was in the way. He’s asking whether the batter did something to get in the way.
The classic call on a steal of third is a righty who swings, misses and falls across the plate. He didn’t mean it. But intent isn’t part of this rule, so if his momentum carries him into the catcher’s lane, it’s interference.
Ducking is fine.
A batter who drops straight down or bends away from the throw isn’t hindering anything (he’s actually helping!). If he stands up tall at the wrong moment, in the same spot, it’s a judgment call. Most umpires let it go if he never left the box.
The penalty. The batter is out, the ball is dead and the runner goes back to second — unless the catcher throws the runner out anyway. Then the interference is wiped out, the runner is out and the batter keeps hitting. If the pitch was strike three, the batter is already out on the strikeout. The interference puts the runner out too, so you get two outs on one play. It’s the same penalty as on the steal of second.
The follow-through is where the rulebooks split — when he swings, misses, and the bat comes around and hits the catcher or the ball as he’s throwing. Under pro rules, USSSA and Little League, it’s a strike, the ball is dead and the runner goes back. The batter isn’t out unless it was strike three. In high school and at Perfect Game events, it’s interference. The batter is out, and the runner goes back.
Do your hitters know to stay put once the pitch is by them, and to finish their swing in the box?
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 6.03(a)(3): the batter is out for stepping out of the box or making any other movement that hinders the catcher's throw, and he's not out if the runner is thrown out anyway. NFHS 7-3-5 names leaning over home plate and stepping out of the box, and makes follow-through interference an out. Under the 6.03(a)(3) comment, the pro rules call an unintentional backswing a strike only. Little League 6.06(c) and USSSA follow the pro rule. Perfect Game plays the NFHS rule. No rulebook makes a batter leave the box to clear a throw to third.
Runner on second stealing third. A right-handed batter takes the pitch and holds still in the box. The catcher’s throw hits him in the shoulder and rolls into left field. What’s the ruling?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“The throw to third goes right through the batter's box. That's the catcher's problem until the batter moves.”
Who’s out when a runner passes another runner?
A runner who passes the runner ahead of him is out the moment it happens. It's the one who did the passing, not the one who got passed, and the ball stays live.
“Keep your eyes up and watch the runner in front of you. Never pass him.”
Is it a foul ball if a bunt hits the batter?
If he's still in the box when the bunt hits him, it's a foul ball, and with two strikes that foul bunt is strike three. If he's out of the box and the ball is fair, he's out.
“Bunt it and run. The longer he stands there watching it, the more likely it finds his foot.”
The rules quiz
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