On Facebook, someone posted a comment about the homerun derby that they don’t hit by the rules. For example, the ball is supposed to land. Land? He explained, if I understand correctly, the ball is supposed to bounce. Wait, what? I would have thought a homerun derby would be in accordance to the rules of baseball. So, if there are homerun derby rules, what are these rules? Esp., does the ball have to bounce? If so, why?
I believe the rule you are talking about is that the hitter cannot receive another pitch until the ball that he just hit lands. Josh Bell hit a giant popup and had to wait until it landed before getting another pitch even though he and his pitcher were ready to go.
They started this rule a few years ago. It’s rarely followed and even seldomly enforced. I think Vlad Jr. and Alonso were given a reminder before the final round, because they seemed to take pitches at slower intervals.
It’s a dumb rule.
Not a bad rule when considering there are children in the outfield shagging balls. Though the children are deep in the outfield, that doesn’t mean none of them wouldn’t follow the flight of a high pop just beyond the infield. Meanwhile, if the batter continued hitting, he might drill a shot right at someone who wasn’t looking.
Cynical me is thinking that this has more to do with TV being able to see and comment on each hit rather than the safety of the kids they have in the outfield.