Rule 7

Section 1:

Position and Batting Order

Article 1...

     Each player of the team at bat shall become the batter and shall take his position on either side of home plate, in the order in which his name appears on the line - up card as delivered to the Head Umpire prior to the game. This order shall be followed during the entire game except that an entering substitute shall take the replaced player’s place in the batting order. A batter is in the proper order if he follows the player whose name precedes his in the line - up, even though such preceding batter may have batted out of order. An improper batter is considered to be at bat as soon as he is at the plate and the ball is alive. When improper batter’s infraction is first discovered, time maybe requested and improper batter replaced with proper batter with the improper batter’s ball and strike count still in effect, provided the infraction is detected before improper batter is put out, or scores a run.

Article 2...

     After the first inning, the first batter in each inning shall be the player whose name follows that of the last batter who completed his time at bat in the preceding inning.

PENALTY for Batting Out of Order (Article 1 & 2):

[a]

A batter shall be called out, on appeal, when he fails to bat in his proper turn and another batter completes a time at bat in his place; provided the appeal is made prior to the first pitch, legal or illegal, to the next batter;

[b]

When an improper batter scores, is put out, or strikes out, and the defensive team appeals to the Head Umpire before the first pitch, legal or illegal, to the next batter; or before the fielders leave the field if a half-inning is ending, the umpire shall declare the proper batter out and nullify any score made by the improper batter.

NOTE:

If the improper batter hits and is put out by a fielder, credit for a put out will remain in the defensive player’s record; likewise, if the improper batter strikes out, the pitcher’s record will reflect the strike out, as it would if there had been no batting out of order;

[c]

When an improper batter scores or is put out or strikes out and a legal or illegal pitch has been delivered to the next batter or all fielders have left the field ending a half-inning before an appeal is made, the improper batter becomes the proper batter, and the results of his time at bat become legal;

[d]

When the proper batter has been called out because he failed to bat in his proper turn, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of the proper batter thus called out; unless an improper batter has been legalized by receiving a pitch, legal or illegal; or through failure of the defensive team to appeal prior to the end of a half-inning or prior to leaving the field;

[e]

When an improper batter becomes a proper batter because no appeal is properly made as above, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of such legalized improper batter. The instant an improper batter’s actions are legalized, the batting order picks up with the name following that of the legalized improper batter.

NOTE:

When several players bat out of order before the defense appeals, the only out that can occur is the last out of order batter, provided the batter now at the plate has not received a legal or illegal pitch; all previous out of order batters were legalized as soon as the following batter received a legal or illegal pitch.

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