Need clarity on rule

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Bretman - What is the deal with pitchers stepping way out left? I know some use it to get around a screwball but I thought there was a rule constraining the width.

 

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For ASA women/youth and high school rules:

The forward step must be within, or partially within, the 24" width of the pitching plate. If any portion of the foot is touching the imaginary boundry line of the rubber, that is considered "partially within".

I suspect that holds true for NCAA, NSA, USSSA, etc, but since I'm not certified for all those, would have to double check each rule book (they are all on-line).

The ASA rule for men is different. For adult men, the forward step need only be toward the plate. It can be outside the 24" width of the pitching plate.

 

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It also applies to NCAA, See the discussion on this under coaches section. Watch some NCAA games they are just not calling it.

 

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I was pretty sure it applied for NCAA, based on conversations, but until I see something in black-and-white printed in a rule book, I never want to be too quick in saying something is definitely a rule.

So, naturally, I looked it up!

Same restriction appears in the NCAA, NSA and USSSA rules.

 

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Bret in ASA both feet must be entirely within the span of the pitchers plate.

 

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During a regional semi-final game last year I witnessed a pitcher who appeared to violate the 24" rule on nearly every pitch. It was finally called once by the plate umpire somewhere near the 4th or 5th inning. If you watched on TV she did nothing different on earlier pitches or subsequent pitches. What caused the umpire to finally call it but only call it only once? One wonders.

 

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Bret in ASA both feet must be entirely within the span of the pitchers plate.

The actual rule does say "within". The interpretation I've been given is that if the stride foot is on the line (an imaginary line, of course) of the pitching plate, that is considered as within.

Same concept as a batter being "within" the batter's box when contacting a pitch. If the foot is on the line, she is considered to be "within" the box. She is not considered to be outside the box unless the entire foot is outside the line.

Again, same concept applies to a pitcher being "within" the circle on the Look Back Rule. Her feet can be touching the line, partly out of the circle, and she is still "within" the circle.

Possibly my understanding of how this applies to the pitcher's forward step is wrong. I will try to confirm this.

 

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bretman. NCAA rule is 10.4.1 page 123. From my interpretation book it is the whole foot out.

 

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I saw an umpire call this recently a couple of times during the game. The pitcher was clearly outside the lane. No one had to tell the umpire; he called it and other infractions usually missed by umpires throughout the game.

 

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I have a question....A team uses a pinch hitter for a player. Then team goes out to playdefense but Does NOT report the re-entry of the player that was pinch hit for. What is the penalty for that in High School softball?

 

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Boy, you really switched gears on us there, Wolfpack!

This would be an unreported substitution (not an illegal substitution, which is covered by a different rule with a stiffer penalty), assuming that the player who went back in the field still had re-entry rights.

Here is the penalty if the unreported sub is detected:

"PENALTY: The umpire shall issue a team warning to the coach of the team involved and the next offender on that team shall be restricted to the dugout/bench for the remainder of the game. The head coach is also restricted to the dugout/bench for the remainder of the game."

The part about the head coach being restricted to the dugout is a new rule this year for high school. I like it, because it puts the blame on the person who is ultimately responsible for reporting all substitutions- the coach. This provides incentive to report the sub as required by rule.

 

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Bret, your interpretation of the ASA pitching rule is wrong, if you look at the diagram in the ASA rule book on page 58 the diagram showing the foot partially within and partially outside the width of the pitchers plate is illegal. ?In ASA the entire the entire foot must be within the 24 inch width.

 

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Bret, your interpretation of the ASA pitching rule is wrong, if you look at the diagram in the ASA rule book on page 58 the diagram showing the foot partially within and partially outside the width of the pitchers plate is illegal. ?In ASA the entire the entire foot must be within the 24 inch width.

sbump,

You might want to double check that diagram. It has nothing to do with fastpitch softball. It is showing the legal stride foot placement for modified pitch and is illustrating the stride foot's relation to the pivot foot, not the edge of the pitching plate. Read the text accompanying the diagram and that should be clear.

Back to the question at hand- the stride foot being outside the length of the plate in women's fastpitch softball.

Since the ASA rule book is worded a little differently than the NFHS rule, and there seems to be some confusion about their interpretation, I did some digging for a more definite answer. Just speaking with other umpires was my first step. The reaction was mixed- about 50% said rule it the same as NFHS and NCAA, about 25% said the foot must be totally within the length and about 25% admitted they didn't have any idea!

But we don't interpret rules by committee or majority opinion. My informal poll "proved" nothing, other than that there is some confusion about how this should be called in an ASA game.

So, I took my question right to the top. In an email to Kevin Ryan, the ASA National Director of Umpires, I posed the question about the stride foot landing position. Here is his answer that I received today:

Bret,

In ASA Women?s or Girls JO we use the same interpretation (as NFHS). As long as part of the foot lands in the 24? length of the Pitcher?s plate they are OK.

Kevin

And that is definitive enough for me! ASA, NFHS and NCAA all share the same interpretation of this rule, even if their respective rule books word it differently. The pitcher has not committed an infraction until her entire pivot foot has landed outside the length of the 24" pitching plate.

 

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I think that clarifies it pretty well. Thanks, Bret, for your thoroughness.