Baseball Instruction/Rule 4.04: Definition of "ill"

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Expert: - 11/16/2010


Question
Rule 4.04 states in “NOTE 2” that “…when a child is injured or becomes ill…the team will skip over that kid … without penalty”.  Is a kid afraid to hit against a particular pitcher constitute “ill”?  What if the kid is afraid to hit against any pitcher?  Is the fear enough to rule him being “ill”?

Answer
David,

If I were asked as an umpire to determine if a kid is ill simply because he's scared of a pitcher, I would probably rule that it doesn't fit the common definition of "ill". However, the league should give a stricter definition, especially if a coach is attempting to use the rule to give his team an advantage.

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Andrew Senger

Expertise

Anything related to baseball rules.

Experience

I am a baseball umpire. I am certified for High School (NFHS), and work in Missouri (MSHSAA). I also umpire for local leagues that use both NFHS and OBR.

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NFHS - National Federation of High Schools MSHSAA - Missouri State High School Athletic Association GSLAU - Greater St. Louis Association of Umpires

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I have attended numerous training lessons on umpiring. Many of these lessons including Rules Interpretations.

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