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I would like to bring up a situation we have seen numerous times in previous years and in our first game of this year, which I and several others feel is a significant safety concern.
Quite frequently, on pitches that are falling short of hitting the plate, some batters are taking a few steps forward, a few of which are obviously out of the batter's box, and firing line drives directly back at the pitcher or other infield players. Couple this with larger hitters and pitchers/infield players who are older or may have slower reaction times and this is sure to lead to unnecessary injuries.
An easy deterrant to this would be zero tolerance, batter is automatically out. |
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Jordan,
I understand your concern about hitting a batted ball closer to the infielders especially the pitcher.
However, the batter's box is seven feet long. Four feet forward from the middle of the plate and three feet back. Many people believe it is the other way around. So what may seem to look like a batter is out of the box, he may not be. Four feet up is a long way.
That is officially where the box is and the batters would be disadvantaged by not having the full box to play with. I have never umpped a game where the batter's box has been shortened.
The alternative is that the pitcher does not have to start at 50' away. They can start anywhere between 50' and 60'. So, if your pitcher would like to start further back, he does have that option.
Marshall
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A batter's leading foot squared with the top of the plate needs only one wide step to be at the limit of the box, rules state that batters must have BOTH feet in the box to be a legally hit ball. The players in question have been hitting the ball with both feet well in front of the plate.
Fastpitch games I have played and umpired for years, where the batter's box is smaller this was strictly enforced but that's a whole different animal. This IS a relatively rare occurance but it is happening. It might be worth watching for to see if something should be done to stop it before someone's face gets rearranged by the ball. |
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