I understand the rule requiring the batter to not have the back foot in front of the line of the front of home plate when the pitch is being made. I understand that if that back foot is in front of the line of the front edge of the plate and contact is made with the ball, whether fair or foul, that the batter is out. However what happens if the back foot is in front of the line and the pitch is made, whether it is a ball or strike, but there is no swing? Does the umpire need to call no pitch before that pitch is made? Is the batter out? Thank you.

Randall the new wording says.. The batter "MUST" take an initial position with his back foot behind a line defining the front edge of home plate ..

so as an umpire I would not allow a pitch until he it set properly in the box and if he moves forward after the pitch but does not swing I would have a strike call if the pitch was legal and the pitch struck the strike mat

BJ,

pretty sure you as an umpire are overstepping your authority by not allowing the pitcher to pitch. Your job is to enforce the rules not tell the batter where to stand. We as players need to know the rules. As a defensive player I would be pissed off if you were directing a player on where to stand, that's not your job. Your job is to enforce the rule once the play has started.

O-boy here we go again with the batters box.

Just go back to the rules for the batters box that were used from when softball first started.
Both feet completely in the batters box any foot outside completely outside the box on a hit
or foul ball is OUT!!!! Thats way they chalk out the batts box before each game so you know
where to stay to be legal.

yankeesfan12,

so what do you do for turf fields where the batters boxes are designed for baseball?

BJ's right and is enforcing the rules as written. By rule, the umpire cannot put the ball into play until the batter is in a legal stance.

This has been true since we played little League.

JohnO28

The turf fields I've played on are either all dirt infields turf out fields or base cut
outs that are dirt. Played in mesa az 4/5 years ago at then called bell bank park the
fields were all turf and just used the boxes that were there never really worried
about it both teams had to use them hell I just played I never worried about the
small things out of my control. I don't think anybody complained about it a bell
bank when we played there.

john028.. below is the rule

RULE 7.1 BATTING POSITION
The batter MUST have at least some portion of both feet on or inside the lines of the batter's box at the start of the pitch. A batter who steps out of the batter’s box at any time during the pitch and then hits the ball, fair or foul, shall be called out. Steps out means touching the ground completely outside of the lines of the batter’s box.

the umpire also may not allow a pitch unless all defensive players are positioned in fair territory, except the catcher who must be in the catcher's box.

Yankeesfan12,

Have you never played BLD in Vegas?
We played 4 different complexes last year that were turf and they were all full turf of IF turf and OF grass. I have never played on a field that was turf OF but not IF.

B.J.,

Where exactly does that rule allow you to preposition a batter? The rules are discussed at the beginning of the game with the ump and managers. You telling a batter about his feet prepitch would be like a Ref in football telling a WR he's offsides. Now if a batter asks you if his foot placement is ok that's one thing but to tell a batter to back up isn't your job.

"EXACTLY"

Just go back to the way the batters boxes were when slow pitch started

The best rule change that softball ever made was the orange extended
base at first base

In football, there is no rule that says the ref cannot put the ball in play if a player lines up offsides.

Again, this has been a rule since Little League and at every level thereafter. According to your interpretation, the umpire could put the ball in play while your still in the dugout....

All this talk brings me back to why have a batters box? A batter has to stand close enough to defend the strike/mat. On most dirt fields the batters box is mostly gone by mid game. If U are the 2nd or 3rd game of the day it is really gone.

All U need is a line 18 inches in front of the plate. Ensures separation from the pitcher. If U step over the line with the front foot an out.

BJs comment about initial stance is important. When an ump is not calling the low flat/short pitch illegal, a batter might have to step up past the front of the plate with the back foot with 2 strikes and try and hit it.

The back foot needs to be parallel to the front edge of the plate or behind the front edge at the point of contact between the bat and the ball. If the back foot is in front of the plate and there is no contact, the legal pitch is either or ball or a strike, depending upon where it lands. Hope that helps.