boone@mmm.UUCP (David E. Boone) (06/03/85)
Sorry I lost the original reference while searching for the answer. The question centered around batting out of order. My notes say the batting order is Hernedez, Carter and Foster. Foster is hit by the pitch and gets on base. Carter follows and fouls off a pitch. An apeal is made and Billy Williams calls someone out. Of course this is wrong. Since Carter took a pitch to the plate, the time at bat by Foster is legalized. Carter is batting out of turn now and will be replaced by the person in the order following Foster with a one strike count. Carter does not get to bat. If the manager had kept his mouth shut (which he surely would) he would wait for the Carter turn at bat to be over before he makes his appeal. In that case the guy following Foster is out, all direct actions by Carer are nullified and the correct batter is the one two after Carter. Of course the other team need not appeal and can accept the action of the batter. This type of thing does happen occasionally. The way I heard it last was the manager sent one lineup to the press box (which was posted to the score board) but handed another to the umps (of course this one was offical). Since the persons batting out of order did nothing offensive, It was actullay about the third or fourth time at bat before an appeal was made.