Bunted Ball Making Contact With The Bat Twice
Kevin Porter from Pennsylvania asks:
What is the ruling when a batter bunts the ball that is then contacted by the bat in fair territory?
The ruling on this situation varies based on how the second contact with the ball took place. If the batter-runner drops the bat and the ball accidentally rolls into the bat in fair territory, without intentional interference by the batter when he dropped the bat, then the ball is alive and in play. However, if the batter intentionally hits the ball a second time or the bat hits the ball a second time (an example of this is if the bat is thrown into fair territory by mistake and hits the ball) then the batter is out, the ball is dead, and no runners can advance.
So in other words, if the ball hits the bat a second time unintentionally the ball is alive and in play, but if the bat hits the ball a second time the ball is dead, the batter is out, and no runners are allowed to advance.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Batter, MLB Rule 6.05(h)