Directed pitch

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In baseball, a directed pitch is a punishment ordered by the umpire and given by the pitcher to penalize the batter. Under the Official Baseball Rules, if a batter refuses or delays entry into the batter's box after being told to do so by the umpire, the umpire shall direct the pitcher to pitch the ball even without a ready batter, and such a pitch shall be called a strike regardless of its location. Current Major League interpretation by Jim Evans and others is that a batter is allowed to enter the batter's box at any time and then attempt to hit such a pitch. Some amateur leagues or minor league rule authorities have expressed an opposite interpretation: that a umpire should keep the batter out of the box until the directed pitch is complete and a strike is assessed.

Under National Federation of State High School Associations rules, the umpire must simply penalize the batter a strike without any pitch being necessary.

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