Ball Deflected Off The Catcher And Hitting The Batter
Mike Kelly from Swansea, MA asks:
A pitched ball is in the dirt, blocked by the catcher's shinguard and is knocked up and hits the batters bat while he is in the batters box and then is deflected up the first base line. Can the runners advance?
Yes, the runners can advance. This is not a normal hit by pitch because the ball hit the catcher's shinguard first. Also, as long as the batter didn't intentionally interfere with the ball, then the ball is live and in play.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Runners