Posted on 04/05/2012 1:25:54 PM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
I know the rules of baseball can be arcane and--dare I say it?--Talmudic. But I saw something in today's Braves/Mets opener that I simply don't understand. I've done a web search but come up blank.
It's the bottom of the second. Ike Davis is at bat for the Mets; first base is open. He has two strikes on him. He swings and misses at the third strike, but it barely touches the ground before being caught.
Now as I understand it, this entitled him to run for first base. But he didn't. Instead he informed the umpire that the ball had touched the ground (apparently the ump didn't see that) and, rather than being sent to first base, was given another pitch to swing at (what . . . ?). Ironically, he again struck out on a ball in the dirt and this time was thrown out at first base.
I have never seen this situation before and can't find any reference to it. Are there any baseball fan FReepers who know why this third-strike-not-caught got the batter an extra pitch rather than a chance to reach first base?
Wait a minute . . . are you saying the swing occurred after the ball had hit the ground, thus ending the pitch? If so, it would have counted as a ball, wouldn't it?
On second thought, I'm not sure that whoever wrote that got it right. Davis struck out swinging, but he then was thrown out at first base. The writer apparently missed that and may have missed what happened on the previous pitch as well.
i believe that they do not record the throw to first base after a K.
that is an informal log in the press box. It is the best record available. There is an official scorekeeper, but he does not record every pitch.
Oh well. At least my team won.
they recorded it as a foul tip (foul ball). Sometimes the umpires make a mistake and call that even though it never hit the bat. And sometimes the ball hits the bat and the ump doesn’t see it.
Sometimes the ball hits the bat and the ump calls hit by pitch. sometimes the ball hits the player and the ump calls that it hit the bat.
I haven’t been to CitiField yet. Maybe this year.
No, I cannot explain the reasoning. I just know, like you, what we saw.
If you swing and miss on the a third strike and the catcher drops the ball the catcher has to throw out or tag out the hitter before he gets to first base.
Otherwise it is an error on the catcher.
If it was a foul meaning the batter touched it at all and the catcher drops it he gets another pitch.
If a foul tip on a third strike and the catcher catches it the batter is out.
Maybe the Illuminati are monkeying with us . . . and MLB is in on it!
I wouldn't put it beyond Selig. [/poor attempt at humor]
My Mets are 3 and 0.
Nyah!
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