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what is purpose of dropped third strike rule?

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by ReubenKincaid » Wed May 05, 2010 9:50 pm

there are a number of unusual rules in baseball/softball... some can easily be explained such as the infield fly rule which prevents infielders from intentionally dropping a ball and turning a quick double play.

but what is the purpose of the dropped third strike rule? what does this rule "solve"?
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by jofus » Thu May 06, 2010 5:28 am

Prevents coaches from putting their worst player behind the plate, like they do in LL Pony League (coach or machine pitch), when it doesn't matter?

Which helps protects the umpires?

It also keeps me from calling drop balls as often as I would like with 2 strikes....
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by DonnieS » Thu May 06, 2010 5:38 am

jofus wrote:Prevents coaches from putting their worst player behind the plate, like they do in LL Pony League (coach or machine pitch), when it doesn't matter?

Which helps protects the umpires?

It also keeps me from calling drop balls as often as I would like with 2 strikes....


Someone asked this question in the last couple of years and there was a post that said that the D3K rule dates back to the earliest years of baseball. I used the rule and misused the rule back when we were in the 10u rec league years, we faced a team with a pitcher that threw smoke as well as wild. A couple of our kids would get to 2 strikes and then if they got a wild smoker, they would swing and run for first. Not the purpose of the rule but we used to get base runners in a game where we didnt get many and we won with it.
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by AlwaysImprove » Thu May 06, 2010 7:47 am

According to this article you are inaccurate. It goes back to 1845 and the very first set of written rules.

"In baseball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes inaccurately referred to as a dropped third strike) ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaught_third_strike
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by DonnieS » Thu May 06, 2010 7:58 am

AlwaysImprove wrote:According to this article you are inaccurate. It goes back to 1845 and the very first set of written rules.

"In baseball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes inaccurately referred to as a dropped third strike) ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaught_third_strike


I like how they described it ' it wasnt enough for the offense to be unsuccessful, they wanted the defense to be successful (i.e. good throw to first)" to log the 3rd out. Wonder why the pitcher's efforts to throw a strike arent considered as 'successful defense'. Maybe I will write the author of that article (or maybe his great great grand kid) and ask.
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by ssarge » Thu May 06, 2010 9:15 am

Except in really weird situations which almost always involve a "dead ball" situation after an umpire's call (runner interference, a strike hitting the batter, etc.), outs are recorded when the defense catches a ball or tags a base or runner. No reason to make an exception in this case.

I think a bigger anomaly is why you can't run on a dropped third with a baserunner at 1st and less than 2 outs.

Regards,

Scott
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by Imperial SB Dad » Thu May 06, 2010 9:41 am

Spazsdad wrote:
ssarge wrote:Except in really weird situations which almost always involve a "dead ball" situation after an umpire's call (runner interference, a strike hitting the batter, etc.), outs are recorded when the defense catches a ball or tags a base or runner. No reason to make an exception in this case.

I think a bigger anomaly is why you can't run on a dropped third with a baserunner at 1st and less than 2 outs.

Regards,

Scott

That would make the runner at 1st at liability to be put out on a ball not technically put in play. Having a double play on a D3K would seem a bit too advantageous to the defense.


That makes perfect sense.
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by Coach11 » Thu May 06, 2010 9:58 am

What other put out is registered when the ball is dropped?
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by SnocatzDad » Thu May 06, 2010 1:01 pm

Coach11 wrote:What other put out is registered when the ball is dropped?


Infield fly is called an out on a dropped ball for exactly the same reason in exactly the same situations (i.e. less than 2 outs)

Otherwise a cagey catcher "drops" 3rd strike and throws to 2nd base to attempt a fairly easy double play.
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by ssarge » Thu May 06, 2010 3:22 pm

That would make the runner at 1st at liability to be put out on a ball not technically put in play. Having a double play on a D3K would seem a bit too advantageous to the defense.


Sounds absolutely right, good thought.
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