A pitch dropped during a delivery with the bases empty is:

A pitch dropped during a delivery with the bases empty is:

• A. An illegal pitch.
• B. A ball if it crosses the foul line.
• C. A dead ball and declared a no pitch if it stops prior to crossing the foul line.
• D. B & C.

Answer: (D)

When a pitch slips from the pitcher’s hand during the delivery, the play isn’t automatically a strike. What happens next depends on the ball’s travel. If the ball continues and crosses the foul line, it’s ruled a ball (the pitch didn’t go through the strike zone, so the batter gets a ball added to the count). If, instead, the ball stops before crossing the foul line, the ball is dead and a no pitch is declared (the pitch doesn’t count toward the count). With no runners on base, these are the two possible outcomes, which is why the combined result covers both situations.

When a pitch slips from the pitcher’s hand during the delivery, the play isn’t automatically a strike. What happens next depends on the ball’s travel. If the ball continues and crosses the foul line, it’s ruled a ball (the pitch didn’t go through the strike zone, so the batter gets a ball added to the count). If, instead, the ball stops before crossing the foul line, the ball is dead and a no pitch is declared (the pitch doesn’t count toward the count). With no runners on base, these are the two possible outcomes, which is why the combined result covers both situations.