Homerun hit on ball 4...

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tom,
this happened on a mens fastpitch game. None down, no runners on. Count is 3 and 2 on the batter but the electronic scoreboard in centre field shows 2-2.  Next pitch comes down as ball 4 and is called by the plate umpire. However, the board in the outfield now shows 3-2 and the batter is not taking the walk and the catcher stays silent.  The plate umpire assumes he got the wrong count instead of checking with the scorer and carries on with the next delivery to the batter still in the box.  Guess what? The batter jacks the next pitch over the fence, rounds all bases and crosses home plate.  Before the next pitch is thrown, one of the  infielders realises what happened and now appeals that the batter had 4 balls and should be put back to first base with the homerun nullified.  What's your ruling?? thanks, dave

ANSWER: Dave,

This is one of those situations where you are going to upset a coach.  It is hard to believe that the plate umpire got confused on the count, but I guess it could happen.

This is a correctable mistake.  I would put the batter on first and take away the home run.

Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Interesting. The ruling was: too late, the defense should have picked it up before the next pitch came down, especially the catcher. The play stood as is.  Anothe rviewpoint suggested that the defence didn't appeal  properly and should have asked for a batting out-of-order as the original batter had technically completed his turn at bat on ball4. So the next batter should be out for BOO, and the batter is placed on one with teh homerun nullified. The next batter is now B3 and we have one down. Does that make more sense??

Answer
No, I don't like that solution.  The umpire should have sent the runner to first on ball 4.  The umpire has the authority to fix a situation where their mistake puts a team at a disadvantage.  I don't have my rule book with me but it is in section 10.  Some umpires refer to it as the "god rule".