Dead ball/live ball - Rule 5
The Rule. Except for awards or outs called by the umpire for something that happened to make the ball become dead (like a hit batter), "when a ball is dead, no runs can score, no bases can be run (except awards), and no outs can be made." You should memorize the part in quotes and be able to repeat it to a coach whose base runner has just taken a base or scored a run and wants to know why it does not count - then you have to tell the coach why the ball is dead.
This rule must be kept in mind at all times, because most plays have two results: (1) a game consequence (added balls, strikes, bases, runs), and (2) a live/dead ball consequence (ball is dead or alive), which as we have seen can stop everything. For example, imagine a situation with a runner on 3rd stealing home, when the batter is hit by the pitch. Regardless of whether that runner safely steals, the runner must return to 3B because the ball is dead instantly on hitting the batter.
There are three kinds of dead balls: immediate, delayed, and umpire-called time out. In a delayed situation (the rule associated with the action tells us whether it is immediate or delayed dead), we wait to see what happens so as not to penalize the offense, which might have a chance to get more bases than an award would provide. For example, on a catcher’s interference call (mitt hits the bat) where the runner hits a double, we do not declare the ball instantly dead, because the penalty for catcher's interference is only one base, and we don't want to take away the batter's opportunity to get more, as happens on this play.
In an immediate dead ball situation, no further play is possible, so we kill it right away. Example: foul ball, hit batter, batter interferes with a fielder making a play.
On an umpire-called time out, the ball becomes dead when the call is made -- like for an injury, a bug in your eye (it happens!), a weather incident, or to allow the coach to talk to a player (or umpire). In those cases, we let playing action cease (meaning no runner is trying to advance to the next base – this is called “relaxed action”) -- unless an injury requires immediate attention or waiting is not feasible (like dog running on field or lightening).
The only way to make the ball live after a dead ball is for the umpire to point at the pitcher and say "Play!" - but only after the pitcher has the ball and is touching the rubber and the catcher is in the catcher's box, which is actually a triangle, though rarely drawn. There is a diagram of one in Rule 1, but basically, just assure the catcher is behind the plate and ready to catch.
This rule must be kept in mind at all times, because most plays have two results: (1) a game consequence (added balls, strikes, bases, runs), and (2) a live/dead ball consequence (ball is dead or alive), which as we have seen can stop everything. For example, imagine a situation with a runner on 3rd stealing home, when the batter is hit by the pitch. Regardless of whether that runner safely steals, the runner must return to 3B because the ball is dead instantly on hitting the batter.
There are three kinds of dead balls: immediate, delayed, and umpire-called time out. In a delayed situation (the rule associated with the action tells us whether it is immediate or delayed dead), we wait to see what happens so as not to penalize the offense, which might have a chance to get more bases than an award would provide. For example, on a catcher’s interference call (mitt hits the bat) where the runner hits a double, we do not declare the ball instantly dead, because the penalty for catcher's interference is only one base, and we don't want to take away the batter's opportunity to get more, as happens on this play.
In an immediate dead ball situation, no further play is possible, so we kill it right away. Example: foul ball, hit batter, batter interferes with a fielder making a play.
On an umpire-called time out, the ball becomes dead when the call is made -- like for an injury, a bug in your eye (it happens!), a weather incident, or to allow the coach to talk to a player (or umpire). In those cases, we let playing action cease (meaning no runner is trying to advance to the next base – this is called “relaxed action”) -- unless an injury requires immediate attention or waiting is not feasible (like dog running on field or lightening).
The only way to make the ball live after a dead ball is for the umpire to point at the pitcher and say "Play!" - but only after the pitcher has the ball and is touching the rubber and the catcher is in the catcher's box, which is actually a triangle, though rarely drawn. There is a diagram of one in Rule 1, but basically, just assure the catcher is behind the plate and ready to catch.