Today my partner Ken Paul and I worked two separate games in the San Jose Men's Senior semi-pro baseball league. In the second game Ken had the dish and with a runner on first, the batter who was crowding the plate was hit by an off speed pitch.  

The batter began to walk to first when Ken called a ball.   The batter stopped and began questioning his call, then the runner on first began questioning the call as I informed him he needed to return to first. Then finally in a loud chorus of bemoaning the entire offensive dugout sang their displeasure.  They informed Ken and I that this was not high school baseball and that it was big league rules.  

My partner Ken stood his ground, made the batter return. The batter then quickly hit into a double play.  Of course the parking lot after the game and the ride home discussion was centered on this call.  

Ken quickly found the big league ruling on a batter who is hit by a pitch, per baseball official rule 6.08(b), clearly states the batter has to make an attempt to avoid being hit, much to the pleasure of Ken.  He is as I type forwarding this bit of knowledge to the Mets team. So to the Mets team from the SJMSBL the call Ken Paul made on the field by rule was 100% correct.

A famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, when Don Drysdale hit Dick Dietz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch; Dietz proceeded to fly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 58²⁄₃ innings

What many fans, player and coaches fail to realize is that all umpires at every level spend hundreds of hours studying, discussing and learning the many detailed specifics of the baseball rule book every season. 

While on the other side many fans, players, announcers and coaches have never seen, opened or read the rule book.  Not successfully anyway.

This scenario is extremely confounding, especially to a knowledgeable  umpire who made the correct call.

This is another perfect example of why my book Baseball Rules in Black and White, being released this week,  can provide basic comprehensive rule definition to those challenged by the original rule book.  www.baseballrulesinblackandwhite.com