Fake Bunt / Swipe Bat
Nobody is out. Runner on 1st base that wants to steal to 2nd base. Coaches are teaching their players that, on the pitch, the batter should show a fake bunt, then while the pitch is coming to the catcher and as the ball passes the batter, the batter should remain in the batters box and swipe their bat back towards the catcher to hinder or impede the catchers ability to make a play on the stealing runner. The batter is in the batters box the entire time. What do you have? Is contact necessary to make this call? Back to Quiz
Batter Interference. Batter out.
Coaches teaching players this technique are intentionally trying to interfere with the catcher's ability to make the play (i.e. cheating) and, yes, this would be batter interference. The umpire should kill the play immediately. The batter should be called out and the runner sent back to 1st base. Contact is not necessary to make this call and the batter’s box does not protect the batter from committing batter interference
Rules 1.INTERFERENCE and 8-6-Q & R.
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