I heard this on the cubs game on ESPN the other day:


In the Official Baseball rule book you won't find anything about the check swing because it doesn't exist. In the rule book, you either swing or you don't swing.

interesting

Wow that is very informative!! Then why the hell do they have that in baseball games if it doesn't even exist? :huh:

Seems pretty dumb to me

Cause the umps try to see if he swung when the batter tries to check it. They classify a swing by breaking the wrist in the swinging motion. Thats why they need the ump to say he swung on the check swing, cause otherwise he didn't swing.

Yeah I understand the whole check swing thing, but what I meant is why do they have it in the game if it isn't even in the official rulebook.

Get what I'm sayin now?

To check if he made a swing or not.....

It is the same thing as an appeal on a tag or whatever.

Oh okay it makes a little more sense now, still a little lost but I'll figure it out eventually

Like Element said, its to see if he did indeed make a swing. Its not as confussing as it seems.

No like I said I understand what a check swing is, I'm not that stupid... I didn't get why it isn't in the rulebook ahh whatever nevermind

Thats what I meant- its not as confusing as you think for why the check swing isn't actually in the rule book. Sorry if I'm confusing you more.

Haha no I think I'm confusing myself it's not complicated but I tend to make things seem more complex than they really are

Thanks for trying to clear it up though

I believe, from what the announcers said, The term check swing came from an announcer who was trying to describe how the batter almost swung but didn't.