On a ball/strike call - the batter or the catcher (pitcher as well?) can “challenge” the call - losing the challenge costs the team a challenge. Who can “appeal” a call (usually to the 1st or 3rd base umpire)? If you can appeal - why waste a challenge?
Appeals are only to challenge if a batter’s swing counts as a swing, or was checked in time to not be a swing.
Also, an appeal of a swing/no swing call can only be made by the catcher or team manager.
Not the batter?
Nope. A batter can challenge a ball/strike call, but only a catcher can ask for an appeal to the 1B/3B umpire. The home plate umpire doesn’t have to grant that appeal, but they generally do.
In Bouton’s Ball Four, he recounted a spring training experiment where the batter could request an appeal to first or third if the home plate ump ruled the batter did swing. They abandoned it because the base umps invariably confirmed the home plate ump’s judgment.
That’s interesting. I’ve seen batters do it, but I guess it’s a useless gesture. I know the 1st and 3rd base umps don’t do anything until the homeplate guy asks for it.
And there is no limit to appeals. Mostly because it doesn’t happen frequently enough for there to be limits imposed.
I don’t even think the standard for what a “Swing” is was the same then. It used to be you could literally go far enough your bat pointed at the pitcher but if you didn’t break your wrists and you snapped the bat back quick enough they didn’t call it a swing. Now the standard is, more or less, if the bat crosses the plane of the front part of the plate.
I remain irritated that the rulebook has no actual physical standard for what a swing is.
Also because the ruling is immediate with no real delay to the game.
Just to note that “appeal” has a specific meaning in the rule book. When the defense throws to a base and asks the umpire to rule that the runner missed the bag, or left early when tagging up: that’s an appeal. “Challenge” is that new-fangled thing about balls and strikes and replay reviews.
It seems that they are working on that and introducing some sort of automated system. One standard they were considering is the first-base line (or perhaps a line parallel to it).
With the current pitching domination and high strikeout rates I’d be happy with a more lax standard on check swings. It’s seems pretty crazy to expect a hitter geared up for a 102mph fastball to check his swing on these crazy sweepers without going at least a bit past the plate.
Exactly, and I find it discriminatory. I’ve never heard an explanation for that. If anyone knows, please post.
Yes, I remember when “he broke his wrists” was the threshold, though I don’t recall when it shifted to crossing the front of the plate (though clearly it has).
Apparently a swing is similar to SCOTUS defining obscenity—the ump knows it when he sees it. 