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Slap vs Drag Bunt

Rule question? Get it answered here.

by GIMNEPIWO » Sun May 21, 2017 3:39 am

So early in an NFHS game as I am returning to the dugout, the PU tells me he is going to call my slapper out if she hits the ball foul with 2 strikes on her ... I tell him she was not drag bunting, she was slapping ... He informs me that she was bunting because she slid her hands up the handle of the bat ... I let him know that that is what many slappers do and demonstrated to him what I meant ... He then informed me that it was a bunt because her hands were not together, there was a small separation in between them, which made it a bunt ... He then clarified that is what they are told to look for and it says so under the description of 'bunt' in the book ... Sooooooo ... I get out the book and write the definitions down on a piece of paper and stick it in my pocket for her next at bat instead of bringing the book out on the field and risk ejection ... The 2 strike situation didn't come up again ... My question is; the "hand separation thing" that she wasn't actually doing any way and I don't know why someone would intentionally have their hands separated to slap, or drag bunt for that matter ..., But Is that something Officials are being taught to look for or was this guy just grabbing at straws ?
"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, the strength of the wolf is the pack" Rudyard Kipling
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by Comp » Mon May 22, 2017 5:05 am

No it is not something new umpires are being told to look for. Either something he has incorrectly decided for himself or has been instructed by someone who is mistaken in determining a bunt from a slap. Hand position has absolutely no bearing on if it is a bunt or an attempt to hit the ball.

It is very possible this is incorrectly being promoted by a UIC to a whole group of umpires. From what I hear there is an entire area of Louisiana where the umpires are being told to call illegal pitches in high school ball when a pitcher touches the dirt and does not wipe the hand before touching the ball. NFHS even has a rule clarification (as does USA softball) stating it is not necessary to wipe the hand after touching the dirt as it is not a foreign substance to the ball. However, the powers that be in this area completely ignore this rule clarification and instead say that dirt is not an approved drying agent and therefore the hand must be wiped or it is an illegal pitch.
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by GIMNEPIWO » Mon May 22, 2017 8:38 pm

Comp wrote:No it is not something new umpires are being told to look for. Either something he has incorrectly decided for himself or has been instructed by someone who is mistaken in determining a bunt from a slap. Hand position has absolutely no bearing on if it is a bunt or an attempt to hit the ball.

It is very possible this is incorrectly being promoted by a UIC to a whole group of umpires. From what I hear there is an entire area of Louisiana where the umpires are being told to call illegal pitches in high school ball when a pitcher touches the dirt and does not wipe the hand before touching the ball. NFHS even has a rule clarification (as does USA softball) stating it is not necessary to wipe the hand after touching the dirt as it is not a foreign substance to the ball. However, the powers that be in this area completely ignore this rule clarification and instead say that dirt is not an approved drying agent and therefore the hand must be wiped or it is an illegal pitch.


Funny you mention the UIC ... We have a new one whose experience is all NFHS Baseball ... But not sure that has anything to do with this PU's misinterpretation or misunderstanding ... Thanks
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by josephrt1 » Mon May 22, 2017 10:09 pm

I haven't done HS in a couple of years but I know the definition of a BUNT is a ball not swung at but tapped.....If she's swinging or chopping it is not a bunt. Pretty sure the wording in college is almost the same. Nothing to do with the hands.
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by jonriv » Tue May 23, 2017 7:24 am

Have seen these called/not called- how do umpires determine what is a slap and what is a bunt?
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by josephrt1 » Tue May 23, 2017 3:02 pm

it should be based on swinging bat or stationary bat.
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by Comp » Thu May 25, 2017 12:23 pm

A bunt is an attempt to tap the ball slowly within the infield. There is absolutely no mention of hand position, batter stance etc. It is purely an attempt by the batter to tap, not hit the ball.

A swing (or slap ) is an attempt to hit the ball with force. Again, no mention of hand position, batter stance etc.
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