If a pitch hits your bat behind you and you haven't swung, is it a strike?

Mike asked: If a pitch hits your bat behind you and you haven't swung, is it a strike?


Rick answered: Mike, thank you for your question.

The rule covering your question is 7-2 Strikes, Balls, Hits Art 2...A foul ball or a fair hit(which may be a bunt) occurs when a pitch is touched by the bat of the batter who is in his box.

A batter does not have to swing for the pitch to be a strike, if the ball hits the bat while the batter is in the batter's box.

You see it quite often in youth baseball, where the hitter does not get the bat down and out of the way, and the pitch hits the bat.

Yours in baseball,

Rick