Lightning Case Play: Foul Bunt with Two Strikes. With two out and a 2-2 count in the 9th inning of the final game of the season, a pitcher throwing in his last career game is sitting on 1,999 career strikeouts. On his final pitch of the game, the batter pops up a bunt into foul territory that is caught behind home plate by the catcher, three outs and game over.
Does the pitcher finish his career with 2,000 strikeouts because a foul bunt is a strike pursuant to Rule 2.00 [Strike] ("a strike is a legal pitch...which (d) is bunted foul") or is he stuck at 1,999 because the fly ball was caught by a fielder pursuant to Rule 6.05(a) ("A batter is out when his fair or foul fly ball...is legally caught by a fielder")? Does the existence of Rule 6.05(d) change things ("he bunts foul on third strike")?
Related Play: Diamondbacks-Dodgers, 7/10/13, Cody Ross bunted a foul pop fly with a two-strike count.
Clue: Gary Rausch [from Arizona] would know the answer to this question. So would Don Hartack [from LA].
*A lightning case play is a "simple" scenario worth one point. This case play expires Thursday at 11:59 pm.
Correct Answer: The play is ruled a caught foul bunt, the pitcher is left with 1,999 career strikeouts. Rule 10.15(a)(4): "The official scorer shall score a strikeout whenever a batter: bunts foul on a third strike, unless such bunt on a third strike results in a foul fly caught by any fielder, in which case the official scorer shall not score a strikeout and shall credit the fielder who catcher such foul fly with a putout."
Correct Responses by: 2dub, Boredcravens, BT_Blue, BullMeechum, Cdbees, Chris Silvestri, cyclone14, DawgDays, DD4D, gkiewitt, Gregoryakoch, kickersrule, JaxRolo, majessa, Moe, NorthStarUmpire#2, RadioPearl, Red @ss Ump, RichMSN, rgoldar2, ryanrrobbins, SJR, toss 'em, Turducken, UmpsRule.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
