illegal bat discovered at end of game

Question
What would happen if a team won a game and shortly after ending the game, before either team leaves the field, the losing team points out that the winning team used an illegal bat the entire game?  Would this cause the winning team to forfeit, or can nothing be done at this time because the game is already complete?  Would anything change if the illegal bat issue was brought up with 1 out remaining in the game; thus the game wouldn't be complete and not "official" yet?

Answer
Hey Jesse,

Wow!  Tough question and a terrible situation to be put in.  I wish I had a definitive answer, but unfortunately I do not.  You may try one of my other counter-parts here at All Experts as this is not my area of expertise.  Maybe they can assist you with better reply as the illegal bat rule is usually specific to your local league(s).

However, with that said, most local leagues have their own illegal bat list.  They determine bats to be illegal for "safety" reasons so people should take the illegal bat list seriously.  If your league is up-to-snuff, the umpire "should have" inspected the bats before the game.  IF the umpire inspected the bats, another bat CANNOT be inserted into the line-up without the umpire's approval.  Thus, you are within your rights to file a complaint with the league and bring forth the argument to force a forfeit.  However, I would only consider filing a complaint if you believe the bat was used in the game and if you truly believe if provided an advantage to the other team, which is usually the case.

Umpire's inspecting bats prior to a game depends on how professional your local league is, so more than likely in your situation the umpire did not inspect the bats and the bat was found out at the end of your game.  It is the umpires discretion to call a forfeit, but he/she usually will leave it up to you to file a complaint with the league as Umpires just don't get paid enough to have to deal with an explosive situation like that, so don't blame him/her too much.

There "should" be not difference whether the game was still continuing or had already ended.

Good luck!