YBE 159: Rules Every Coach Should Know Before Arguing With Umpires, Part 2, with Brandon Jackson

How well do you know the rules about being hit by a pitch, runner vs fielder-fielding-batted-balls priority, runner vs fielder-catching-throws priority, home plate and the width of the strike zone? Test your knowledge as Brandon Jackson, former umpire at the D1/DII/DIII level, is back to explain these commonly misunderstood rules coaches ought to know before going out to argue with the umpires. This is Part 2 of a four-part interview. Plus Rob answers the Question of the Week (43:52) about how to handle a runner who doesn't run hard on the base paths.

In this 51-minute episode, you'll learn:

• what is a checked swing (5:06)
• whether the batter must make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch to be awarded being hit by a pitch (7:04)
• what happens when the batter swings at a pitch and is hit by the pitch (8:22)
• what happens when the batter checks his swing and is hit by the pitch [from Dr. Cosimo] (9:10)
• why umpires ignore the batter requirement to avoid being hit by a pitch [from Bob] (9:56)
• whether a batter who is hit by a pitch that first hits the ground is considered hit by pitch [from Chris M] (12:12)
• whether a pitch is a strike if a batter shows bunt but does not pull his bat back [from Justin] (12:32)
• what qualifies as a tag attempt in a rundown for the purposes of running out of the basepath (14:58)
• if the basepath is re-established each time a runner changes direction in a rundown [from Colin] (17:05)
• whether umpires should officiate batting out-of-order issues if they have not received lineup cards from both teams (18:16)
• what happens when the batter is touched by his own batted ball while still in the batter's box (20:32)
• what happens when the batter is touched by his own batted ball while outside the batters' box (20:47)
• how much outside the batter's box must the batter be in order to be considered outside the batter's box when the batter touches his own batted ball (20:57)
• what happens if a batted ball hits a baserunner [from Chad] (21:54)
• what happens if a runner collides with the fielder attempting to field the ball [from Kris] (23:15)
• what happens if a fielder is the path of the runner [from John] (25:24)
• what happens if the ball gets past the primary fielder and the ball then hits the runner (26:02)
• what happens if a runner intentionally touches the batted ball after it passes the primary fielder (27:42)
• what happens if the primary fielder boots a batted ball but the ball doesn't get far from that fielder and the runner accidentally touches the ball (28:02)
• what are "protected fielders" [from Chris O] (28:46)
• what happens if a runner jumps over a batted ball and is not hit by the ball [from John] (30:16)
• what happens if a runner jumps over a batted ball but is hit by the ball (30:39)
• what happens if a runner intentionally waits as a batted ball approaches a fielder to shield the fielder and then jumps over the ball (30:44)
• whether a runner is safe or out when hit by a batted ball while standing on the base [from Colin] (32:09)
• whether it is obstruction if a first baseman is in the path of the batter-runner when trying to catch a throw (33:48)
• whether the batter can step on the first baseman's foot if a first baseman is in the path to 1B (36:25)
• whether a fielder can occupy the baseline while waiting for the ball on a tag play, blocking the basepath [from Chris C] (36:56)
• whether a fielder must make room for the runner [from Dave] (38:46)
• what happens if an umpire is hit by a batted ball before any fielder has a chance to field it (39:38)
• what happens if an umpire is hit by a batted ball after a fielder has had a chance to field it (40:17)
• whether the black edge of home plate is part of home plate (40:27)
• whether a pitcher that skims the edge of the plate is a strike (41:16)

Resources and links mentioned in this episode

• Close Call Sports

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