You make the call

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We've all seen the Randy Johnson exploding bird video (if not, google 'Randy Johnson bird' and watch), well, it happened again this weekend at the Heart of Ohio Summer Celebration. Runners on 1st and 2nd and my 12U daughter unleashed a 75 mph fastball--all our 12 yo daughters throw 75 right?--OK it was proably more in the 50 range) and the pitch hits a bird midflight. The ball rolled toward the plate and the birds tumbled dead along the 3rd base line. Everyone was stunned, umpires conferred and eventually called ball 3.

Right call?

I came out to discuss the call, but quickly realized I had no idea what to discuss. So I calmed my stunned daughter down and let it go. I looked in the ASA rule book, but couldn't find anything in the bird section. Google seems to turn up every possible answer--bll, dead ball, no pitch, umpire's discretion...

 

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The ball was pitched and it didn't enter into the strike zone, so yes it is a ball. Sounds crazy it happened, but I don't think you can call a no - pitch, it would be no different than the ball hitting heavy rain drops. But hey I've been wrong before.

 

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The bird is part of the field. Ball. Not only that, but if there had been a baserunner at third and the ball had riccocheted out of play, the run would score. Maybe even from second. Right, Bret?

 

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Come on! Everybody knows that if the ball hits a bird it is a FOWL ball!

Seriously, you're right in that this isn't something addressed in the ASA rule book. It's one of those plays that is so rare it isn't even covered. If rule books started addressing every possible "what if" scenario that you could possibly imagine, they would quickly grow as thick as the New York City phone book!

There are a finite number of rules designed to cover an infinite number of possible plays. In cases where something is not specifically covered by the rules, there is a rule that allows the home plate umpire to formulate any ruling he sees fit.

If this happened in my game, I would follow the spirit of the rule and interpretation that has been issued by professional baseball. This has happened there before and they have issued rulings to their umpires on how to handle it.

First, they break things down into either "natural" or "unnatural" objects. "Natural" objects include birds, animals, rocks and dirt clods. "Unnatural" objects include bases, the pitching rubber, loose bats or gloves, dugouts, fences or walls.

Second, they distinguish the status of the ball that strikes the object. The rule can vary depending on if it was a batted ball, a throw from a fielder or a pitch.

The type of object hit and the status of the ball that hit it can result in various possible outcomes. For instance, a batted ball that strikes a "natural" object remains live and in play, regardless of if the contact was made over fair or foul ground. There was a good example of this in a Cleveland Indians game about a week ago, when a batted ball hit one of the many gulls flocking around the stadium. The ball dropped to the ground before the outfielder could catch it, but the ball remained live and the batter safely reached base.

Finally, I'll get to the play in question!

The Major League Baseball ruling for a PITCH that strikes a "natural" object (which includes birds and animals) is that the ball is immediately dead and "no pitch" is declared. It is neither a ball or a strike. Runners return to whatever base they were on at the time of the pitch and the batter remains at the plate with the same count as before the "deflected" pitch.

If this one-in-a-million play ever happens in one of my games, that is the ruling I would go with.