ASA Foot Out of the Batter's Box making Contact with Ball

[Illegal pitcher]

Actually im consistent in what I call.

You implied that you make different calls depending on the situation.

"Opposing pitcher had a tough time throwing strikes and the batters were swinging at anything so they didn't walk. No way Im calling them out of the box in that situation."

You should make the same call whether the pitcher is having trouble throwing strikes or not.

 

[spos21ram]

Seeing I havent called anyone out for being out of the box in over three years might mean im pretty consistent. I think ive called it once in my life

 

[spos21ram]

Show me an ump who has called 100% of batters out for stepping over the plate or out of the box and ill give u a high five...any ump who has called this rule to a T is lying.

 

[spos21ram]

The way I call this rule is very consistant. That's different than consistently calling the rule every time it occurs. Just like a strike zone. Not every ump calls it by the book but consistentcy is what's important.

 

[Joker]

no we're not. if in your judgement the batter is out of the batter's box and they make contact, they are out. you don't be more strict if they hit middle or if it was in front of the box. you also don't be more lenient when the pitcher is struggling or if the batter doesn't gain an advantage or if its in front of the plate. all your comments about how you call it is bad umpiring

 

[spos21ram]

Actually i wouldnt want an ump in my league who is a Nazi about this. Players wanna hit and field when they come to the field. Your asking for arguments if you call this.

 

[trip]

This is a ticky tac call. You're asking for trouble if you call this with no lines unless...ding ding ding...its blatently obvious.

what the **** are they going to do? argue?

toss their ass out the game. simple. stfu.

 

[trip]

With no lines im pretty sure most umps have said to themselves...u know he was probably out of the box but with no lines ill give him the benefit of the doubt?

and ****ing no. if he's clearly out of the box then he's ****ing out.

 

[Joker]

With no lines im pretty sure most umps have said to themselves...u know he was probably out of the box but with no lines ill give him the benefit of the doubt?

but if he hit middle then he's out, thats for sure

 

[spos21ram]

​

and ****ing no. if he's clearly out of the box then he's ****ing out.

In your umping career how many times have you called someone out for this?

 

[trip]

at least once a week for the last seven years. give or take. and our boxes are 4'x7'

 

[kelbigd]

One reason why I hate calling a batter out for stepping over the plate is because they usually doit when swinging at a terrible pitch that is way outside. I dont see this as an advantage for the batter. Playing in the field or umpiring, I'd rather see people swinging than taking walks. Umping a game last week where the hitting team was up 18 in the 3rd inning. Opposing pitcher had a tough time throwing strikes and the batters were swinging at anything so they didn't walk. No way Im calling them out of the box in that situation.

 

[kelbigd]

You are a tool!

 

[DeputyUICHousto]

You shouldn't cherry pick when or if you make a ruling. If I'm behind the plate and the batter stepped out of the box when contact is made you bet your as* I'm calling him out. I don't care if he went middle or not. That's not part of the rule. The box is there for a reason. If I had my way the box would be 2' X 7'. The problem with that is that many umpires don't enforce the rule as written. There's not a box in the game of golf, if you don't want to stay in the box in softball, maybe you should take up golf.

 

[hitless45]

7 yr old thread

 

[RNRPLZ]

We're talking mens slow pitch softball. If I was umping a high school baseball game I'd call it all day.

My thought leans towards use the rules. If you were so inclined to use selective.....against the rules conduct. Then your sympathy should have been feel sorry for the bad pitching. Call batters out per the rules then it levels playing field and get this.....it’s in the rules of softball. Do you all wear uniforms during games?

 

[stang7222]

7 yr old thread

Almost 8 now... does this rule still apply? Had an umpire say he doesn't call people out for stepping in front of the plate anymore. Wondering if there was a rule change or if this guy is just a clown.

 

[ilyk2win]

Almost 8 now... does this rule still apply? Had an umpire say he doesn't call people out for stepping in front of the plate anymore. Wondering if there was a rule change or if this guy is just a clown.

It's NJ, rules don't really apply, unless it gives the PITCHER a perceived "advantage." But yes, if the entire foot is in front of the plate, it's a dead ball out. Mind you, if "in the umpire's judgement" even the smallest portion of the batter's heel was still in contact with the batter's box, then it's GTG. There are so many egregious "out of the box" violations here that it's really not even worth calling bc a) umpires don't want the aggravation and b) it would take too long to even explain to 1 batter, let alone the other 99% of dolts who don't know the rule(s) or care to want to know them, but will argue endlessly every call they don't agree with.

 

[blakcherry329]

Just to keep this ancient thread going...

In NY/NJ hardly any fields have lines, unless they're turf.
The rule is hardly ever enforced unless it's so blatant that the ump has to call it.
Batters stand outside of the box before the pitch gets to the plate and it's not called ever.

Nobody makes contact with the ball with their foot in the air, so that argument about the footprint doesn't make sense to me.
Having said that, who cares the thread is 8 years old.

 

[ilyk2win]

Just to keep this ancient thread going...

In NY/NJ hardly any fields have lines, unless they're turf.
The rule is hardly ever enforced unless it's so blatant that the ump has to call it.
Batters stand outside of the box before the pitch gets to the plate and it's not called ever.

Nobody makes contact with the ball with their foot in the air, so that argument about the footprint doesn't make sense to me.
Having said that, who cares the thread is 8 years old.

Honest story.....I had an umpire tell me once that the batter wasn't out of the box bc the batter hit the ball with his front foot still in the air. I asked him to show me how that was possible on anything but a Judy hit. Of course he offered no explanation.....bc we all know there is NO plausible one to make!
USA pre-pitch batter rules are more stringent than USSSA. >75% of batters in NJ don't start legally per USA book rules. I tried enforcing it during the State tourney and the one National we had here.....but seemingly was the ONLY one doing it. Other States seem to enforce it during Nationals.

 

[loxx0050]

I've seen a couple of batters called out in my Utrip league for stepping over/in front of the plate to chase an really outside pitch instead of taking a walk. But only been called couple of times I've witnessed.

There is a guy on an opposing team that has his left foot (righty batter) way out of the batters box prior to the pitch delivery. When I say way out it's a foot beyond the painted box. Asked the ump if that's legal and he said it was fine (dont recall if he said its legal but he let it be). But guys foot did end up in the box upon contact after taking his windup step at least.

 

[EAJuggalo]

USSSA changed their batter's box rules to make it easier to see and call on turf where the box is often drawn wrong. When it's blatant you have to call it, when the guys foot might be five inches off the plate instead of six, I'm not looking at his feet that closely. I'm focusing on where the ball is.

 

[ilyk2win]

USSSA changed their batter's box rules to make it easier to see and call on turf where the box is often drawn wrong. When it's blatant you have to call it, when the guys foot might be five inches off the plate instead of six, I'm not looking at his feet that closely. I'm focusing on where the ball is.

My issue with any of them not being enforced, is we keep hearing all this and that about "pitcher safety" but by allowing batter's to stand essentially wherever they want, we take away the ability to "jam" a batter bc even an inside corner pitch can be fully extended on by either standing as far away from the plate as one desires OR front foot step as far out as needed to "open up" and still hit it up the middle.

**Side note - then they start this BS about the pitch has to be coming "down" and not "through" the zone bc it's supposed to be "slow" pitch but we keep moving the mound back and everyone's proposed answer to pitcher safety is to move it back even further.

 

[stang7222]

My issue with any of them not being enforced, is we keep hearing all this and that about "pitcher safety" but by allowing batter's to stand essentially wherever they want, we take away the ability to "jam" a batter bc even an inside corner pitch can be fully extended on by either standing as far away from the plate as one desires OR front foot step as far out as needed to "open up" and still hit it up the middle.

**Side note - then they start this BS about the pitch has to be coming "down" and not "through" the zone bc it's supposed to be "slow" pitch but we keep moving the mound back and everyone's proposed answer to pitcher safety is to move it back even further.

Pitch from 2B. I know you can do it!

 

[EAJuggalo]

Pitching distance hasn't changed in the 15 years I've been involved in USSSA. It's still 50' for the upper guys and 50-56' for the lower. If a guy is standing so far away he can fully extend to hit the inside corner, it's going to be very difficult for him to hit a pitch on the outside corner anywhere other than the endcap. I tell guys every weekend that they have to move back, or in, or off the plate before I let the pitcher pitch. If they aren't completely in the box before the hand can't be dropped and the pitcher can't pitch.

If a pitch isn't coming down through the zone it was flat. There has to be a discernible arc to the pitch. I have to see it go up and be coming down.

 

[blakcherry329]

Pitching distance hasn't changed in the 15 years I've been involved in USSSA. It's still 50' for the upper guys and 50-56' for the lower. If a guy is standing so far away he can fully extend to hit the inside corner, it's going to be very difficult for him to hit a pitch on the outside corner anywhere other than the endcap. I tell guys every weekend that they have to move back, or in, or off the plate before I let the pitcher pitch. If they aren't completely in the box before the hand can't be dropped and the pitcher can't pitch.

If a pitch isn't coming down through the zone it was flat. There has to be a discernible arc to the pitch. I have to see it go up and be coming down.

It's slow pitch. Reaching the outside or inside corner, as a batter, isn't all that difficult no matter where you stand.

 

[EAJuggalo]

It's slow pitch. Reaching the outside or inside corner, as a batter, isn't all that difficult no matter where you stand.

If you're setup far enough of the plate to get full extension on pitch that's on the inside corner, you can't barrel up a pitch on the outside corner without lunging. I agree it's easy to set up in a position where you can reach both easily, but you aren't going to have full extension on a pitch on the inside corner from there. That was what PP was talking about.

 

[blakcherry329]

We'll just agree to disagree.

 

[ImminentDanger]

The inconsistency of allowing the batter to ignore all the rules related to the batter's box (standing outside, wiping out the lines, not called for stepping out), but forcing pitchers to obey all the rules related to the pitching plate or box or motions, etc., simply follows the preference for hot bats so no batter feels incompetent.

If you can stay within the rules for batters and hit all fields with any pitch, good for you... But that is not the ability of most players and giving them that ability by not enforcing the batter rules on ALL BATTERS, is a disadvantage (& sometimes dangerous) for pitchers who are forced to obey the pitching rules.

%%%

 

[RNRPLZ]

Ok. I just wanted to make sure I was correct on the application of the rule. We were dealing with a field that didn't have chalk outlines and I am willing to give the first situation benefit of the doubt as I think the batter was out of the box but with no line and all the other foot prints in the dirt, it would have been tough to call/judge. The second one was blatant as there was a full foot print in front of the plate and knowing that the box is 6 inches off the inside of the plate, the umpire should have been able to call that one. I got frustrated with the 2nd situation because the umpire actually told me the ASA rule was that when specifically dealing with in front of the plate, it had to be a whole foot in front of it and the batter's box rule didn't apply.

The correct call is if the batters foot touches the plate in front of the plate across the other side of the plate, batter is out. IF batters foot touched said area prior to contact with the ball. If they make contact during swing and complete their swing then foot goes awry , no call to make