Saw the first of what will be 2 baseball games in less than one month yesterday. Since I was thinking about corner cases, I got to wondering.
What happens if the pitcher ‘pitches’ the ball, but it doesn’t get past home plate?
The example I’m coming up with is if he basically rolled the ball toward the plate. I guess the degenerate case is if he dropped the ball straight down while on the mound.
MLB rule 8.05(k) provides that dropping the ball (while on the rubber) with runners on constitutes a balk.
The approved ruling is that is a “pitch” which hits the ground (to include a dropped ball while on the rubber, or a rolled pitch towards the plate) which does cross a foul line (or extension of same in the plate area) is a legal pitch, is a ball (unless swung/offered at by the batter), and most other rules apply as to normal pitches (if struck by the bat, it’s in play; if it hits the batsman, he’s awarded first, etc) If it results in a strikeout, it cannot be counted as a strike legally caught by catcher under 6.05(b), but would naturally count as strikeout if 6.05(c) applies, etc.
With no runners on, a ball dropped or otherwise delivered towards the plate by the pitcher in contact with the rubber which does not cross a foul line, is “nothing”/”no pitch”. (It may be charged as a ball only under the umpire’s judgement that it was an intent to delay the game/violate the 12-second rule (rule 8.04).)
I can’t believe not everyone knows this! :)