Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Handling the FED Batter’s Box Rule

By Tim Stevens
WIAA Director of Baseball

I’m frequently asked, “What ever happened to the batter’s box rule?” Unfortunately, a minor change in wording a few years ago caused many to think it had been abandoned altogether. Here is a quick overview on the evolution of the rule and best practices for enforcing the rule as it is currently written.

With no clock or scoring limitation to mark the end of a contest as in other sports, the game of baseball is dependent upon many delicate balances to keep it within a reasonable time frame. As game durations continued to drag out in the 1990’s the FED rules committee looked for means to “pick up the pace.” Identified as one of the biggest time-wasters was the practice of batters venturing out of the box after every pitch to make 1001 minor adjustments, get signs, etc. With this in mind the Committee implemented specific language identifying what batters can and cannot do during the at bat.

Here are the specific requirements of the batter:

1. The batter must enter the batter’s box within 20 seconds after the pitcher receives the ball following either the previous out, the end of warm-ups at the beginning of the half-inning, or following a batter’s box exception.

2. Once within the batter’s box, the batter must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box during the entire at bat.

3. There are eight specific exceptions to #2 above in which a batter may leave the batter’s box, but must return in a reasonable time.

As the rule was originally written, if a batter left the box in any situation other than one of the eight exceptions, the umpire was to issue a strike call immediately.

After a couple of seasons, the Committee recognized that the rule, as written, went farther than was intended. Rather than expediting games, the rule was causing games to go longer because umpires had to explain or argue strike calls for following the rules. The rule became such that umpires were regarded as overly officious if they enforced it, and the tendency was toward ignoring it altogether. The Committee then made a simple revision that brought about the desired compromise: A charge of strike was to be enforced when the batter left the box in a non-exception situation AND delayed the game in failure to return.

Unfortunately, when clinicians told umpires that they “were no longer to enforce the batter’s box rule unless there was a delay” umpires seemed to only hear that they “were no longer to enforce the batter’s box rule, period.” Coaches and umpires alike seemed to quit paying attention to batters box decorum, and the prolonged gyrations returned. Over the course of the past year the question of “whatever happened to the batter’s box rule?” reared repeatedly. It is indeed alive and well, as rule 7-3-1 will attest. Now, let’s take a look at some practical approaches to enforce this rule.

First, umpires needn’t be bringing a stopwatch onto the field. The batter does have a 20 second count, but the exactitude becomes a matter of umpire implementation. After a reasonable period of time, if the plate umpire feels the batter is not taking appropriate steps to enter the box, the umpire should give a loud warning, of something along the lines of, “Let’s go, batter. You’ve got 10 seconds to get in the box.” If the batter continues to dawdle, a 5 second warning is also warranted. After what seems a reasonable 5 seconds, if the batter is not in the box and ready to address the pitch, the umpire is justified in issuing a called strike.

Unlike in a directed pitch situation, the pitcher does not have to throw the pitch in order for the strike to be called. Being ready to address the pitch means that if he is holding up a hand and still digging in, even though he is in the batter’s box the clock is still running on him.

After a pitch is thrown, there are eight exceptions in which the batter is allowed to momentarily leave the box. Rather than memorize all of these exceptions, it is almost easier to remember the scenario in which the batter MUST stay in the box – a pitched ball that goes directly from the pitcher’s hand to the catcher’s glove for a called ball or strike which does not force the batter out of the box for being too close. In any other circumstance - a swing at a pitch, a ball in the dirt, a feint or play at a base, a pitcher leaving the mound or a catcher leaving the catcher’s box, a call of time, a drag bunt, or a pitch that forces the batter out of the box – the batter is allowed to momentarily leave the box without penalty. If a batter does leave the box under an exception situation, a new 20-second count begins and the process described in the previous paragraph is repeated.

Remember that leaving the box implies taking both feet completely out of the batter’s box. I once saw an umpire issue a strike for a batter stepping out of the box when in fact the batter kept one foot in the box while taking signals from the coach. This is not a violation of the batter’s box rule.

The tricky part is in knowing exactly how and when to enforce the batter’s box rule. Remember that the previous rule made it simple but was overbearing; leave the box without an exception, get a strike. Umpires now have the discretion to determine under what circumstances a batter is to return to the box immediately, and under which some allowance will be given. Here are some possible scenarios, and recommended approaches for handling them:

• On a 3-1 pitch, the batter tries to “buy” a ball four by trotting to first as soon as the ball is caught. The pitch is called a strike. REACTION: Allow no further delay. Tell the batter to get right back into the box and give minimal leeway. Case Book 7.3.1 Situation F still allows umpires to adjudge delay before calling a strike. Batters will have a narrow window on this.

• Same situation, only this time batter stays in the box. On the call of strike, batter heads toward dugout thinking it’s strike three. REACTION: Give a little more latitude than in the previous play. A strike count brain cramp by the batter has a broader threshold for tolerance than trying to buy ball four.

• On a 1-1 pitch at the knees, plate umpire calls strike. Batter backs completely out of the box and complains about the call. REACTION: Your call was strike two; he just bought himself strike three. Any time a player leaves the box and complains about a strike call he is delaying the game. Wring him up.

• Batter watches a 2-1 outside pitch for a ball, which is caught by the catcher. The batter then steps out of the box with one foot, where he watches for signs from the third base coach. The process seems to be taking a long time. REACTION: Although the batter is still within the batter’s box, he must be ready to address the pitch within 20 seconds of the pitcher receiving the ball. If the batter is dragging things out, proceed to the “10 second, 5 second” count process. Be sure that the coach is aware that the batter is getting warned so that the coach knows that he needs to speed up the process as well.

• Same as in the previous scenario, except that the batter completely leaves the batter’s box with both feet. REACTION: Once the batter leaves the box, instruct him to immediately re-enter the box. This warning should be issued loud enough so that his coach is also aware that the player is improperly out of the box. If the batter fails to comply immediately you may issue a strike. Again, the time frame between when the batter leaves the box and you issue your warning is subject to your personal interpretation of “delay,” but once the warning is issued the batter must comply immediately. If he doesn’t, it is the responsibility of the umpire to issue a strike right away.

Regardless of how stringently the batter’s box rule is enforced, the head coach should be included in the process. This can be as simple as making sure that any “warnings” (instructions to batters to immediately return to the box) are issued in a manner such that the coach is aware of the circumstance. Umpires should approach this rule from the mindset that its purpose is to speed up the game, rather than to penalize batters for being spacey. Any coach worth his salt is going to want to avoid unnecessary strike calls and will be sure to communicate with his players the need to stay in the box.

One of baseball’s sources of pride is that it is played without a clock. I umpired in a national tournament that, due to the large number of games over a short time span, had to use a 20 second clock to keep the pitcher and batter on task and the game moving. As long as umpires keep the strike zone nice and large, keep teams hustling in and out of the dugout and warm-up pitches to the prescribed number, and enforce the batter’s box rule as written, the high school game will continue to move at a proper, enjoyable pace.