Rule Time

So there were a few calls that came up this week that its worth noting what the rules state.

First of all, it seems like strikes are called pretty inconsistently throughout the division. The inconsistency is that some refs seem to think that either the entire ball or half the ball has to enter the strike zone. That is incorrect. If any part of the ball enters the strike zone (1 foot from home plate), the pitch is a strike.

1.02 The strike zone is a three-dimensional irregular pentagon based on the shape of home plate and is one (1) foot in height. The front of the zone aligns with the front of home plate. The sides of the zone extend one (1) foot to either side of the plate. The back edges of the zone are one (1) foot from the back sides of the plate (see Diagram 4). The strike zone may not be marked by cones or other raised objects.

11.02 A strike is: a. a pitch that is not kicked and is not called a ball per Rule 12.02, that enters any part of the strike zone (see Rule 1.02);

In the Balls and Dolls game, Gordon almost over ran his own player, Jess. Luckily she started moving but had she not it could have cause a problem. If he over ran her, he would have been out, had he pushed her to get her running she would have been out.

10.08 Running past another runner is not allowed. The passing runner is out (see Rule 14.02j).

and

14.02 An out is: ...
h. a runner physically assisted by a team member during play (see Rule 6.02);
...
j. a runner that passes another runner (see Rule 10.08);

Last but not least we had a decisive call in the 99 Problems vs Booze on First game. There was an overthrow at home plate that went pretty far and it looked like 2 Booze on first players scored but the ref ruled that the second baserunner had not crossed second base when the ball went out of play.

10.07 Base Running on Overthrows;
a. an overthrow is a ball thrown, kicked, or deflected into foul territory while making a defensive play toward a player or base;
b. a runner may advance only one base beyond the base the runner is on or running toward when the ball travels into foul territory;
c. one base on an overthrow is a restriction on the runner – not an automatic right for the runner to advance;
d. if any fielder attempts to make an out prior to returning the ball to the pitcher, runners may commence base running.

As always, you can read up on all of the WAKA Kickball rules by going to the rules page.