In Major League Baseball, when a batter gets hit in the head with a baseball, they are automatically awarded first base as they should be.
In College baseball, a new rule pretty much stops that and gives the decision to the home-plate umpire.
Case in point. This Louisville batter clearly got hit in the head by a pitch, but the umpire called him out on strikes.
Check out this Hit By Pitch Baseball Rule:
It may seem obvious when a batter is hit by a pitch and awarded first base, but there are some cases where a base may not be awarded.
- The ball touches the batter in the strike zone. Example: Batter is fooled by a curve ball and ducks. He is hit in the head, but his head is over the plate and in the strike zone. The correct call is a strike.
- If the batter makes no attempt to get out of the way of the ball. This normally occurs at higher levels of baseball where a player may “take one for the team”. Make sure to check your rule book as some leagues will allow this. What is not allowed is for a player to intentionally get in the way of the ball. For example a player cannot turn his shoulder in towards the plate for the purpose of getting hit by the ball.
- If the ball hits the bat in the act of swinging and then touches the batter. The correct ruling is a foul ball and the batter should not be awarded first base.
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Welp, and there it is….
