AboutBrian Flaspohler Expertise Questions about baseball rules, general information about the game, statistical analysis, questions about players, questions about Baseball records. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and a lifelong baseball fanatic. Don't ask me questions about training - this is not my area of expertise.
Experience Lifelong fan, article about player movement from team to team throughout history.
Question why does an umpire discard a pitched ball that hits the dirt but not a batted ball that hits the dirt?
Answer Freddy,
It is up to the umpire to decide when to throw out a ball. Watch the game a little more closely - almost never is the same ball used once a bat contacts it.
The rule is that the umpire must throw out a ball when it is dirty or scuffed. They used to let balls stay in play longer, but now most umpires throw out the ball as soon as it touches the ground or the bat.
