Extra Hitter

[bklynump]

The league I work uses an extra hitter. It is optional and neither team is required to use it. During a game this season, Team A opted to use the EH, and batted 10 players. However, the lineup they submitted to the umpires and Team B, only listed 9; the EH was not included. Team B did not notice this until Team A had batted once through the order with 10 players. The second time around, when the EH cam up to bat, Team B argued that Team A was batting out of order.

My question is, how would you handle this situation? There are a couple of options:
(1.) Once Team A batted through the order once, the EH was legalized, as if he were an unannounced subsititute.
(2.) Handle it like a batting out of order situation. Removed the EH from the game. Call out the proper batter, and the player who was the EH is now on the bench.
What would you do?

Thanks.

[mbyron]

You forgot option 3:

3. Check with the league about how they want to implement the EH.

Seems to me that, if A goes through the lineup once without the EH, the role of the EH should be done for that game. If I had to rule on the field without guidance, that's what I'd do.

Also, if the EH was still hitting and you wanted to treat it as BOO, you'd simply bring up the proper batter and keep the count the same. You seem to be mixing BOO and illegal sub penalties.

[Ozzy]

Option 4

Know what the rules are for the league you are umpiring. When they hand the lineups to you, look them over and ask "Coach... batting nine with no DH today?".

Guess what, the coach would have caught that mistake right then and there and fixed it because once you accept the lineups, there is no adding of a DH or EH!

I learned this trick many years ago doing HS ball where the coach is usually trying to do 10 things at once before the game. You have no idea how many BOO's I prevented by asking this question.

[bobjenkins]

Option 5) The person who was supposed to be the EH is now a (unannounced) sub for whoever followed the last legal batter. It's not BOO, and it's not an illegal sub since the umpire has no knowledge that the person was previously in the game.

If the league has re-entry then the person who was "replaced" can re-enter; he's out of the game and the person who was supposed to be the EH is in.

And I agree with Ozzy's option 4 -- verify the line-up cards at the beginning to prevent some problems.

[Richard_Siegel]

Originally Posted by bklynump

The league I work uses an extra hitter. It is optional and neither team is required to use it. During a game this season, Team A opted to use the EH, and batted 10 players. However, the lineup they submitted to the umpires and Team B, only listed 9; the EH was not included. Team B did not notice this until Team A had batted once through the order with 10 players. The second time around, when the EH cam up to bat, Team B argued that Team A was batting out of order.

My question is, how would you handle this situation? There are a couple of options:
(1.) Once Team A batted through the order once, the EH was legalized, as if he were an unannounced subsititute.
(2.) Handle it like a batting out of order situation. Removed the EH from the game. Call out the proper batter, and the player who was the EH is now on the bench.
What would you do?

Thanks.

If I understand the situation, Team complained about the BOO when B9 of Team A had just completed his second at bat, and now the would-be EH for Team A has just stepped into the batter's box, or maybe taken a pitch, or he has just completed his at bat and B1 has not taken a pitch yet for his third at bat.

First of all anything that happened when the would-be EH batted the first time is legalized since no BOO appeal was made and no umpire noticed the would-be EH was an illegal player.

Since the EH was not placed on the line-up card. Team A is not entitled to have an EH in the game today. When the would-be EH steps into the batter's box for his second time he becomes an unannouced substitute for B1. The results of his at bat are all legal until the original B1 comes to bat for the third time.

If the original B1 steps into the batters box he is an illegal substitute for B2 because B1 was replaced by the would-be EH and the at bat by the would-be EH (now S1 for B1) is legal, so the original B1 is not batting in ther batting slot of B2.

[cajunyankee]

If this is USSSA ball, which uses the EH, the extra hitter can be added to the bottom of the lineup at any time during the game.

This is designed to allow for kids that show up late to be allowed to participate in the game.

Other leagues handle this differently, but down here, we try to get the kids in the game (and the parents paying entry fees )

[dukemd]

In USSSA you can do that only if you declared a continuous batting order.

Approved Team Line-ups:
7.02.D.1 Teams may bat a nine (9) player line-up, ten (10) player line-up using an Extra Hitter (EH) or continuous
line-up of all present, eligible, uniformed players. Such line-up must be declared before the start of the
game and used the entire game.
7.02.D.1(a) If a team uses a line-up that contains substitute players, all starting players may be
removed and re-enter the game once, but must re-enter in their original position in the
batting order. Non-starters are not allowed to re-enter. When a starter re-enters, the
player in the starter’s batting position in the batting order must be removed from the
game and is ineligible for the remainder of the game.
7.02.D.1(b) If a team uses a line-up that contains ten (10) players, the player in the Extra Hitter
position, while not actually playing a defensive position, will be treated as such for
substitution purposes.
7.02.D.1(c) If a team uses a continuous line-up, all players other than the nine (9) defensive position
players are Extra Hitters and may move freely in defensive positions with the exception of
the pitching position. Any player(s) arriving after the game has begun, shall be added to
the bottom of the batting line-up. When using the continuous lineup and a player has to
leave the game for any reason, that position in the line-up becomes an out when that at
bat comes around.