Marcell Ozuna's Backswing Hits Catcher Will Smith's Mask - A Rules Check & Baseball Math Proof

After Braves batter Marcell Ozuna's bat hit Dodgers catcher Will Smith's mask on a fly ball to left field, the two had a brief conversation before umpires and teammates intervened. Did a rules infraction occur or was this a legal play? We review using...baseball math! Article: www.closecallsports.com/2023/...
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Our mathematical proof at the conclusion of the video suggests catcher Smith had nowhere to go at the back of the catcher's box, rendering this a somewhat inevitable incursion with both players not violating any rules.
We also discuss the soft INT backswing interference (strike only) rule for OBR and NCAA, as well as NFHS's auto-interference on the backswing rule.

[@mrkeiths48]

You showed it so many times in this video. Now my head hurts.

[@priceright8963]

Agreed. I'm feeling that now.

[@tysonbasye5171]

It’s also “legal,” as in “part of the game” for a pitcher to hit a batter with a “wild” pitch… the batter just gets to go to first base. However, pitchers get thrown out of games all the time for hitting batters, even sometimes when it’s unintentional. If a pitcher can get thrown out of a game for a pitch that gets away from him, then Ozuna should be able to get thrown out for a ridiculous swing that “just got away from him” as well.

[@neixgd]

Not the same

[@tchevrier]

I think the more important issue is that if Ozuna is repeatedly hitting catchers with his backswing, legal or not, then something needs to be done to change is swing. It is far too dangerous to be constantly doing that.

[@KWally]

There's nothing in the rulebook preventing this though. Honestly I'd prefer an extension of the catcher's box at that point.

[@sadbravesfan]

Hitting a baseball is already hard enough. Asking a player to adjust their swing is a lot harder than the catcher moving back.

[@CommonSense823]

He should want to change his swing to avoid this without having to be asked or told.

[@tchevrier]

@@KWally This goes beyond the simple rule book. When a player is reckless with their actions, even if it is within the rules, and that recklessness causes severe injury to others, then the league needs to take special action to protect its players. The league changed the rule on sliding into 2nd because players were intentionally trying to hurt other players within the rules.

[@tchevrier]

@@sadbravesfan How about asking the batter to move forward? If their followthrough is constantly hitting catchers then there is something wrong with the batter, not the catcher. Maybe that player needs to be mandated to move forward in the batters box By the way, how many times did Cal Ripken adjust his swing during his career?

[@weaselworm8681]

Just as catchers interference is a base as is hit by pitch, there’s no reason a wild backswing can’t be called an out. It’s too dangerous to allow it to happen. The sport needs to change now that we’ve learned home dangerous head injuries are.

[@FastDuDeJiunn]

yep. they are supposed to be pro athletes. they can manage a fing back swing.

[@Danjr704]

Yeah but the geometry of the catchers and batters box doesn’t allow for the batters to be fully cognizant of their backswings when they’re trying to hit a ball coming at them close to 100 mph. It’s impossible to swing full speed through the box and not have an equal speed backswing. Now as far as length goes, look at a guy like Judge, you expect his arms to not come close to a catcher’s helmet on a backswing?? Only solution would be to move catchers further from the back of the batters box. But this will impact pitch framing and umpire ball/strike calls. Truthfully I’m more surprised catchers interfere isn’t called more frequently on the forward swing of a batter, cause of how the catchers reach forward towards the plate to catch the ball.

[@baseballman4958]

Bingo!! The excessive backswing is totally unnecessary and fixable, and Ozuna is an asshole for copping an attitude. Stop following through in such a way that you will hit the catcher! Not hard.

[@patron40silver]

🐴💩

[@trippytree3889]

until the MLB changes the rules there is no reason he should be forced to change it cause Will doesn't like it

[@Sean-uh6te]

Not intentional, but Smith has a right to be upset. It hurts and he could be put on the IL for that. There’s a cumulative effect to head injuries.

[@Mox3712]

I don't see him having any right to be upset at Ozuna - maybe at himself for getting in the way but Ozuna did nothing at all wrong here.

[@jeremygoldenberg9617]

@@Mox3712 "getting in the way"? Seriously? Did you actually watch the video?

[@Youngstomata]

@@Mox3712 sounds like you got hit the head one too many times too

[@chiefskingdom4151]

@@Mox3712 as a catcher Will Smith needs to move back a little bit but also Ozuna just needs to be more humble and quit knocking out his wife and getting arrested because I think people are taking that into account here when they base their opinions on this

[@sadbravesfan]

@@chiefskingdom4151 when did he knock his wife out?

[@Bigandrewm]

By the time Ozuna's backswing hit Smith, his entire upper body was turned around and he had maximal extension backwards. There's no way that's a reasonable swing just to generate power.

[@sleepytrucker3454]

Ever swung properly?

[@dleatherman4539]

When I was in Little league, a long time ago, we were taught to be responsible for our bats. One warning, then ejection. I don’t see why MLB doesn’t address this. Hockey does and it keeps players more responsible. There is absolutely no reason to have a follow through that out of control.

[@stevesand8845]

he’s not doing anything illegal….

[@wingracer1614]

And if you have such a rule, what is to prevent a catcher in a big situation from just intentionally moving up a bit to get a guy called out? I'd take one for the team if it was a big situation in a big game. Lots of other catchers have been behind Ozuna and never got hit. It's just a few like Smith that this keeps happening too

[@dleatherman4539]

@@wingracer1614 There are already rules against catcher's interference.

[@MajinSupernova]

@@wingracer1614 that's already a rule idiot, and batters like Ozuna take advantage by standing as far back as possible and hitting these catchers whenever they can

[@bc5852]

not how i was taught, only don’t throw the bat

[@sammihom15]

I think this situation calls for some sort of new rule. Even if a catcher backs up he can still get hit. If a batter is repeatedly hitting catchers with his backswing, even if he's doing it unintentionally because he prefers the back of the box, maybe the boxes need to be adjusted in some way so that catchers can stay out of the way.

[@cizzymac]

Is Smith supposed to just forget that Ozuna put him on the DL last year? He has every right to be upset about it, unintentional or not.

[@stevesand8845]

was that ozuna? he did it again tonight on a 2 run homer by Ozuna, but Smith was literally standing up and

[@thakid691]

@@stevesand8845 yeah that’s smiths own fault .

[@gamecockdevil4]

Smith should adjust his positioning further back in the box problem solved

[@Frogz1620]

@@gamecockdevil4 or ozuna could actually stand in the batters box instead of behind it.

[@olik5652]

@@gamecockdevil4 ozuna isn’t even standing in the box. His back foot is behind the white line

[@cups3]

In hockey even unintentional high sticks are penalized , as the ruling is you are responsible for your stick

[@alexcov7003]

Yeah except on a shot follow thru ie: his follow thru on his swing

[@HammerJammer81]

@@alexcov7003 problem with his follow thru is thats its overly massive. He should be aware of his bat at all times. His is super extreme and he is injuring people due to it is my worry

[@CurtisBooksMusic]

Sir, this is baseball.

[@cagedtigersteve]

Yeah maybe baseball should have a rule you can't swing your bat hard. Or keep tho hands on the bat at all time.

[@patron40silver]

Fighting is "allowed" in hockey. Should fighting be allowed in baseball, too? Maybe penalize them by taking them out for an inning and then letting them re enter the game?

[@Wpopof6]

the problem with Ozuna is that his back foot is out of the backend of the batter box. That is why he is making contact with Smith i dont know why they dont check it. During this series they showed an over of Ozuna's stance and half of his foot is definitely out of the batter's box

[@patron40silver]

Half of his foot is out of the box? That means the other half is in the box and as long as any part of the foot is touching the line, it's legal.

[@marijuasher]

@@patron40silver Nope. The back end of the box is the last place where you can your back foot.

[@patron40silver]

@@marijuasher 6.03 The batter’s legal position shall be with both feet within the batter’s box. APPROVED RULING: The lines defining the box are within the batter’s box.

[@stevebabiak6997]

Notice that the two hit by bat incidents both came on inside pitches, and Smith had set up inside to catch the pitches. By doing that he moves even closer to the “danger zone”. One other thing is Ozuna lets one of his hands go of the bat, that reduces his ability to control the backswing. Making that “danger zone” even more dangerous. Maybe he needs a Velcro strap or something to help him keep his grip better.

[@J.C...]

It's not about keeping grip better. He chooses to let go. Just like Ken Griffey Jr did. Most of his swing were finished with 1 hand on the bat, IIRC. But Jr didn't have that huge backswing. His bat always seem to end behind him and not back at the catcher like this. I realize Jr hasn't played in like 11 or 12 yrs but he was the last player I really watched so that's all I have as an example lol. I'm just now getting back into baseball again.

[@stevenmcdonald2750]

If you look at the swing before the catcher got hit, his backswing is directly coming across the plate behind him. Smith got up looking for the foul ball. I believe if he hadn't got up, he would of been hit at that point as well.

[@another4778]

@@stevenmcdonald2750 Oh no, you're trying to logic with Dodger fans (Californians). That never ends well. The issue must check at least two of their "diversity" boxes to get any attention.

[@1969EType]

I don't know what the answer is here but, we can't have catchers wearing bat swings to the head. Catchers need to work tight to the batters because most MLB pitchers work the bottom of the strike zone to keep the ball in the yard. The closer the catcher is to the hitter the easier it is for him to receive the low pitches. Forget framing...it's about not letting the ball hit the ground which is then harder to field. As Lindsay showed, in order for a catcher to be safe from follow through interference from someone with Acuna's build, he would have to be nearly 3 feet behind the hitter. It also puts the catcher at a disadvantage to throw out baserunners because the further back he is, the further the pitch has to travel and the further he has to throw it to make a play on the runner. At this level a few inches or seconds on the exchange could make a difference in the outcome of the play. Again, I don't like to see catcher's getting hurt on a swing but, we have to ask ourselves, how often is this happening? Prior to this video, I would say I have seen this 5 or 6 times in 45 years of watching baseball. So, we don't want to manage by exception...obviously, if there is malicious intent, the umpire can eject. The batter is entitled to use ALL of the batter's box and the catcher has the catcher's box. In order for Acuna to not hit someone, they would have to alter their swing significantly. Again, I'm not sure I want to see that but, I don't want to see catcher's getting hit with bats either.

[@toddkawana7171]

Sorry to hear you're dealing with concussion issues. Hope it won't end your career completely?

[@Kevin_Aus]

I always hear so much about the "unwritten rules" of baseball. This seems like a perfect example where the issue could be solved by simply having pitchers throw at Ozuna. He would likely get the message. What Ozuna is doing is perfectly legal, so is pitching high and inside.

[@halah34]

What the hell happened at 3:15? I’ve never seen that clip before.

[@divinegrinder6632]

Probably not intentional... Either way, Ozuna needs to re-evaluate the cartoonish backswing. Catcher was plenty far away when you see it from the side. I would have been angry too after just suffering a concussion. It's not too much to assume someone that's hit multiple catchers on his backswing is probably at fault. Aaron Judge could probably get the bat completely past a catcher's head if he fully stretched his arm back, but that never happens.

[@drgonzo767]

Bingo, it is "cartoonish", indeed. And the way to make him re-evaluate it is to nail him in the ribs next time up. And before anyone comes at me, ask yourself this: how often do you see a batter nail the catcher on the backswing, and how often do you see a repeat offender? Dude is swinging like an asshole, treat him like an asshole.

[@another4778]

@@drgonzo767 Yeah, that "cartoonish" swing just jacked a two-run homie off the media darlings AND dummy Smith was in the way again AND got hit in the back. He sure didn't seem to have too much to say about it then. Dodger fans and their cheerleader media are the definition of the term you used and why it's always delightful to watch them soar during the regular season and collapse like clockwork in the playoffs. It's got to be painful.

[@olik5652]

@@another4778 Don’t forget dummy ozuna isn’t even staring in the box. Ozuna’s back foot is behind the white line during his swing which causes him to hit catchers repeatedly. Will Smith is forced to position himself behind the catchers box because Ozuna won’t stand in the box.

[@another4778]

@@olik5652 Didn't they have an umpire back there to see??? Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Will Smith's punk attitude will never get him much pity.

[@olik5652]

@@another4778 yup. Unfortunately umpires don’t give two shits and let Ozuna start kingside the box. Tell me how Will Smith had a punk attitude when all he said was “cmon that’s the 5th time.” Plus Will Smith just got back from a concussion, so he doesn’t want some retard who doesn’t stand in the box to cause him to miss more time.

[@philliplee9545]

I was hoping your video dealt more on where Ozuna's foot was at the time of the swing and whether he can be called out of the abtter's box for that.

[@kimchi2780]

Ozuna is the only guy constantly hitting catchers.

[@edwardververs1204]

Did you account for the batter’s hands on the bat?

[@robertbrown7470]

Was the batter @3:14 arrested for assault. He should have been. That's way beyond anything to do with a baseball game. Where did that happen?

[@hangblague]

What is the story at 3:14? I MUST know.

[@Rowgue51]

The dimensions of the batter's/catcher's boxes were set when the average height of a ballplayer was about 5' 9" and the bats being used were correspondingly much shorter on average. With the length of bats everyone is using and the vast majority of players being in excess of six feet these days catchers are just going to be getting clocked once in a while. Especially the catchers that intentionally stay forward in the box because it helps them fool umpires into calling strikes when they shouldn't be.

[@trippytree3889]

asking ozuna to change his swing because will is upset is like asking him to give the catcher a free advantage while putting himself at a disadvantage. Why the frick would ANYBODY agree to that.

[@FUGP72]

Funny how this "once in awhile" NEVER HAPPENS except with Ozuna and his awful swing. almost as if all the bullshit you said means nothing. The catchers box is fine. How this got get through ANY level of coached baseball with that backswing is the problem. The CHANGe that needs to be made is not moving the catch back. It is implementing a penalty for one handed backswings like this if it hits the catcher.

[@Rowgue51]

@@FUGP72 I guess you missed the cubs cardinals game recently where this just happened with happ and Contreras huh? It happens a lot. It's usually much more minor contact that nobody even acknowledges, but it happens all the time. And the pattern follows specific catchers not specific batters.

[@Homer554]

Great video, great channel. Thanks!!

[@route2070]

When I was a catcher in little league i was nervous of being hit in the glove by a swing, and hit in the head by a back swing to the point the ump kept telling me to scoot up. I eventually got over that and it wasn't an issue. My only backswing incident was the time I accidentally hit an ump who ran behind me on a swinging strike three to call the the stolen base attempt at 2nd. He was the only ump on the field and he dropped his hand held chest proctor, so I hit him in the chest unprotected. I didn't even feel it. But he did.

[@thegrayman69]

Way to not show the overhead view where Ozunas back foot is completely out of the box

[@matthashobbies]

Bullpens came out because that's "their" catcher, probably not like a "we're all gonna fight this dude" situation but more of a just stickiing up for your guy

[@mikecumbo7531]

When were the dimensions of that batter’s box and catcher’s box drawn up? Maybe it’s time to look at the dimensions and adjust some parameters? Perhaps add a backswing rule? Fixing this would make more sense than the silly Buster Posey rule, more catchers would be helped.

[@CommonSense823]

Babe Ruth was an inch taller and swung a 36" bat (2" longer than Ozuna's). Not sure anything has changed much over time with the size of the players or the equipment, but it's still worth looking at.

[@sfan2767]

It's not practical for the catcher to be any further back and be able to receive a low pitch before it hits the ground (and becomes much harder to receive).

[@mikecumbo7531]

@@sfan2767 so then there are two options, first, reduce the depth of the batter’s box, second, implementing a rule covering the batter controlling their bat. Didn’t CCS have a high school video a few years back on this subject? I think a batter was ejected.

[@sfan2767]

@@mikecumbo7531 This video even insinuated there is a rule like that in high school. I think it's reasonable to an extent; the real problem is that most of the time it's really just the batter swinging a little too hard, versus their normal swing being dangerous. This is honestly the first time I think I've ever seen a batter swing so hard they hit the catcher and they actually made contact; normally it takes a swing-and-miss for the follow-through to be so out of control.

[@tombrown8443]

dumbest suggestion. yeah lets move catcher further back lol like thats gonna cause any issues with the strike zone. How about making batters stop standing furthest back in the batters box?

[@rj7411]

Ouch!! Another good one Lindsay. Yeah for math too😝

[@J.C...]

Man I love this channel! 👌

[@anthonylombardo1261]

Linds, linds, linds, LINDS! How are you gonna show us the clip at 3:15 and then proceed to NOT talk about it?? That clip better be the next close call sports video, or better, when sports go to far.

[@MiguelsLakers]

They should start calling outs on this type of bs. If they do it more than twice they should be ejected!

[@Matthew6418]

It's not up to the batter to adjust here he's 100 percent legal. Move the catcher's box back 2 to 4 inches. This is on the MLB to fix not the catcher or pitcher.

[@tomganoe6999]

The pitchers may well resolve this with Ozuna. But hey, 100% legal swing. I wish him luck.

[@patron40silver]

The 2nd reasonable comment. 👍👏🏽

[@patron40silver]

@@tomganoe6999 Pitchers resolve it with Ozuna and then what? Betts or Freeman gets drilled.

[@christalball93_]

Love your videos and hope your head is ok umps are very brave

[@bobh6728]

This is going to come down to the player making a change or forcing the league to make a change. I watched a video of the 10 smoothest swings. In the follow through, 7 kept both hands on the bat, 3 ended up holding the bat in one hand with it pointing away from the plate toward the dugout. Ozuna follows through with one hand on the bat, extended arm, and rotating almost 360° from the start of the swing. If the league has to make a rule, it will be a mess. Both hands on the bat? Rotate no more than 270°? You can see the problems already. You would think a batter would be concerned that he is hitting catcher’s in the head and find out why. I see no reason to extend his arm and rotate like he does. It would seem to affect him starting to run to first if it is not a home run. The pitch clock came about because batters and pitchers took so much time between almost every pitch that something had to be done. And not many people like the rule. If routine pitches had been done quickly, then you could still take time when the winning run was on base in the late innings without the pitch clock. Now you have games decided by a bases loaded walk because of a ball for taking too much time.

[@arley2246]

3 game suspension for leaving bull pen. Waste of time

[@jtrjtr5393]

And that's a close call.... Sports!

[@robertbrown7470]

Look at 2:07 why is Ozuna even looking back as if that's the most important thing going on. I thought this batter is up to get on base, not to see what type of damage his backswing did to the catcher's head?

[@thejason5276]

the math is incorrect. There is an angle between the batter's box and the catcher. Even in a full 360 degree rotation on his swing, he loses the hypotenuse between him and the catcher.

[@wingracer1614]

Very true. Except when the catcher moves so far inside he's practically right behind the batter as shown in one of those clips

[@ferrari884]

This was an excellent breakdown. I look forward to the Jomboy collab.

[@dirtybirdfan16]

Even if this was the 5th time Ozuna has done this (I keep hearing the claims but I've not seen the proof), that's a hella low percentage! 5 times out of how many hundreds and hundreds of at-bats? Nah, it's not the batter's responsibility to change his swing, otherwise catchers would crowd the batters. This was just clearly an accident that appears to only have happened (like you said, it didn't happen two pitches earlier) because it was an inside pitch that moved Smith closer to Ozuna (compare @1:23 to @1:28 and it's clear as day). Ozuna seemed surprised it happened and was quick to make it clear he didn't mean to do it. I think this was just a snap-reaction by Smith because it hurt and he had just come back from a concussion, but he didn't seem to really think it was on purpose and go after Ozuna for it. Seems that Benches clearing just shows how weak their masculinity is because not one of them would want a real fight. The posturing is pathetic; change the rules that allows for fights and see how quick these pansies stay on the bench.

[@karlrovey]

Looking forward to the Arenado and Marmol ejections video.

[@robertbrown7470]

I don't know. Just looked at a compilation of Ozuna's 2022 hits. Not coming close to the catcher's head. Catcher's set up about the same as Will Smith. Should be invetigated at the least.

[@jayhawk6767]

The only way to currently police this is the catcher warns Ozuna after getting hit. Another contact to the catcher from the bat, Ozuna gets a plunking.

[@michaelkeller4090]

Yeah diagrams are one thing but if his back foot is outside of the batter's box all that means nothing.

[@voxelation]

Ozuna's back foot was on the back line of the batter's box. That's part of the batter's box.

[@kendavis8046]

Can't this be simplified by determining if the batter remained in the batter's box. His space, the catcher was crowding.

[@fender6er]

There was a rule broken. For some reason it doesn't get enforced. Although it most certainly should be. Ozuna's back foot was clearly outside the top of the box. If he was made to get completely inside the box... this wouldn't happen. It really is that simple.

[@joshnaudi]

3:14 uhmmm...

[@jonasbrownlee7279]

You can see his heel behind the line on follow through

[@Finnssssss]

Just a little fact check for you here. The reason there was a pitch clock violation the first time is because Chicago didn't put in the request in the MLB to allow it for his first at bat. It's in the rules and the Dodgers did put the request in this time. It wasn't on the Umps, it was on the Cubs. The Dodgers (like the Jays last week) actually put in the proper request and were granted the reprieve for the standing Ovation.

[@hangblague]

I found the 3:14 incident. Alex Romero in a Venezuelan league 2019.

[@robertbrown7470]

League management should be investigating whether Ozuna is hitting a bunch of catchers with his back swing or is he hitting mainly Will Smith with his backswing. Easy enough to see videos of Ozuna's swing. If he's doing it on purpose here, which he may be, then fine him $500,000 or so.

[@donnywilliamson5807]

What is the story with the batter turning around and beating the catcher with the bat? I must have missed that one. Anyway next time Ozuna hits a catcher the next AB he should be drilled in the hip.

[@wingracer1614]

While Ozuna did absolutely nothing wrong and has been doing this for 10 years, I'm actually really surprised the Dodgers never plunked him. Never even gave him some chin music.

[@patron40silver]

Drill Ozuna for not doing anything illegal is going to get Betts or Freeman drilled.

[@jks612]

I want the league to come in and rule on this. That back swing is dangerous and if more and more people start to use it as a part of the gamesmanship of the game, it won't be long until someone is seriously hurt from it.

[@jackstraw3934]

How should they rule?

[@wranglerman270]

Honestly it won’t be long until ozuna is retired

[@jeremygoldenberg9617]

@@jackstraw3934 Any contact contact with the catcher's helmet, mask, or any other part of the head during the backswing is an automatic out. If it's on the 3rd strike, or if the batter is otherwise put out as the 3rd out, it gets trickier.

[@sadbravesfan]

​@@jeremygoldenberg9617 Hitting a baseball is already hard enough. Asking a player to adjust their swing is a lot harder than the catcher moving back.

[@jeremygoldenberg9617]

@@sadbravesfan The catcher literally has no room to move back. Clearly didn't watch the video.

[@oatzee1279]

Birds Eye view showing that batters starting outside the box

[@danrose3233]

It is the catcher's responsibility to position himself at a safe distance. Many catchers crowd a hitter. If a catcher knows a batter has a lengthy backswing then you should back up. I doubt an umpire will call a catcher for being too far back in the box as long as it is reasonable. A batter must be in the batter's box, but they have the flexibility to position any where in the box they want to. Catchers usually position as close as possible but at a safe distance. These comments about a hitter needing to adjust their swing are absolutely ludicrous!

[@richgodfrey7242]

Great work.

[@sethheasley9538]

"Why are the bullpens on the field...?" LOL. I'd be thrilled if MLB would start suspending players for leaving the bullpen. It's just a tragic macho thing.

[@priceright8963]

There was a time where the every ball park had the bullpens in play. Not that putting them off the field have deterred bench-clearing brawls.

[@bigpoppa1234]

They should mandate that bullpens have to fight each other like one of those russian barn fights and everyone else can just do the usual pushing and shoving. I doubt the pitchers would leave if they could break their hands punching a sub catcher in the head or get knocked out by someone else.

[@kevwwong]

Honestly, it's kind of funny. The bullpens are way too far for the players to be of any value in participating in/breaking up a brawl. Yet they MUST come out as a show of solidarity.

[@KDJ0513]

Clemson baseball vs VA Tech a few weeks ago needs a video!! Game ended on a runner interference rule!!! Feel like you could teach a lot in that video

[@nkvball808]

On TV they showed Ozuna was outside the box but the line was so worn the ump wasn’t going to call it

[@blueknight5754]

I’m surprised that this doesn’t happen more often.

[@alternatereality4198]

It doesn't happen often because most batters are able to control their backswing. There are plenty of players with longer arms than Ozuna and they're not going around knocking catchers heads. Ozuna does this more than anyone else but he doesn't do anything to adjust. Will Smith has every right to be angry.

[@robertbrown7470]

There's good reasons why this doesn't happen more often, especially with all the years it takes to get to MLB in the first place. No league would put up with that crap for long.

[@FUGP72]

MLB needs to put a stop to that bullshit backswing. They've certainly made rules on the fly before, so this should be one. There is NO reason to have such a wild swing. I don't care if those bush league homer announcers say it is his normal swing...that makes it WORSE. If he was a .210 hitter with 6 HRs, there would already have been a rule addressing this.

[@douglassepic9030]

I want to see more of that video where the batter attacks the catcher with the bat. Pleeeaseee.

[@Blt-rr2lm]

There needs to be a rule for bat control. There already is a rule for catcher interference.

[@marks7445]

I am not a fan of baseball’s “unwritten rules” especially in cases like bat flips or consecutive HR’s. But I wouldn’t have a problem with a pitcher “protecting” his catcher in cases like this. As others have mentioned, this isn’t an isolated incident for Ozuna and he should control his bat. Braves announcers were essentially blaming the catcher. That he should know Ozuna’s backswing and setup accordingly. Interesting in this video pointing out that it isn’t even possible.

[@curtjohnson2619]

CloseCall seems to be implying that, within the current rules, there’s nothing that can be done to limit this kind of swing. While that may be true, why not suggest that MLB add a rule like that noted from high school baseball and do the sport a service? As noted in other comments this is not involuntary behavior on the batter’s part and it isn’t the first or last time this will happen in MLB…so why not advocate for a sensible change in the rules?

[@RyanRobbins007]

This wouldn't be anything in high school, either.

[@Brirend]

Smith didn't do himself any favors by setting up so far inside. You got to lay some responsibility on the catcher. If you know a batter has an unwound backswing like that, you have to know that setting up that far inside carries a risk.

[@patron40silver]

I can't believe it. I found the one reasonable comment in this entire section.

[@rclarkcarpenter]

When is mlb going to implement penalties for players leaving to bullpen to engage in disagreements on the field of play? It’s ridiculous

[@sickwitit9177]

His back foot is outside the batters box.

[@peachablemacaw]

A back swing that hits the catcher in the head should be an automatic ejection. A pinch hitter can finish the at bat.

[@stevesand8845]

that’s insane…. that the way he swings and it’s completely legal….. i’ve watched baseball for years and i’ve never seen Ozuna hit anyone on purpose other than his girlfriend

[@peachablemacaw]

@@stevesand8845 Modify the swing or move up in the box. The burden should be on the batter to make certain it doesn't happen, just as catcher's interference is on the catcher to avoid.

[@weselliott8699]

don't what made my head hurt more... the math or the back swing shot

[@Mitten4371]

Yea I pitched from little league to highschool and at age 13 I played travel baseball for coaches that played pro or college. But this incident was unintentional because with any hitter especially Ozuna he wants to lift and separate because he is a slugger. But catchers also know how far they can go while behind the plate because if they get too close to the hitter and the bat hits the catchers glove well then it's interference and the hitter is rewarded firstbase. So again catchers has to be aware how far that they should go so that catchers interference won't be called on him. Hitters are taught to drive the baseball and so incidents like this does occur

[@circusmaster1441]

PLAYER INTERFERENCE... This should have been called an out.

[@transcendkira]

Batters really shouldn't be doing this, they need to keep better control of their bat. If you did this in Cricket you'd thankfully be unlikely to hit the wicket keeper, (they can be any distance back from the wicket) but you could hit your own wicket and thus be called out. A much safer situation with a much harsher outcome for the batter, perhaps baseball's leagues should consider some sort of recourse for releasing control in a far more dangerous scenario such as it is.

[@armymatt22]

This isn’t catchers interference. Check the rules. Correct. The rule 6.03(a)(3) has a comment that when the batter misses and hits the catcher unintentionally on the backswing, a strike is awarded and the play is dead. Here is the Brewers losing a run to the second part of this rule. Nothing else happens to the batter. If the batter hits the ball and hits the catcher unintentionally on the backswing, that isn't even mentioned, so it's legal and nothing happens. The catcher's box is almost six feet deep.

[@rellimnahtan]

The math used in this is so flawed and taken out of context... I just... Holy crap.

[@daniellovell7606]

He simply doesn't have to follow through so lazily.

[@gassyjones]

Bellinger didn’t have have a standing ovation. Only a few people were standing. It was a normal applause

[@A-FrameWedge]

It is not his backswing it is his follow through.

[@Roysorb]

I'm waiting for someone to pick a fight with Marcell. This happens a lot.

[@Youngstomata]

He’s the wrong guy to pick a fight over. He’ll choke you out and your whole family. Just ask his wife 😮

[@karlrovey]

​@Young Stomata Which makes this look even worse for Ozuna. When he first got suspended, I thought he was done and would never play another game (which is what should have happened). As it is, he has hit the same catcher multiple times and it's getting to the point where we're probably going to see a message pitch.

[@lanem4304]

Ozuna has hit multiple catchers with his backswing, not just Smith. Rules-wise, yes, we don't have a violation, but Ozuna man, control your follow-through, you ARE getting people hurt.

[@jjo5552]

They need to keep the batters inside the box stop allowing them to stand on the chalk lime in the box if you pay attention to his back foot alot of the times he's not in the box

[@KineticR]

Simple solution: Make it illegal for the batter to have his "backswing" go so far in a rearward direction, as Ozuna's does here & hits the catcher on "his body", as long as the catcher is properly located in the Catchers Position. It should not be called a strike. The batter should be called OUT! That would stop this dangerous action from happening. Now the penalty should be that the batter is OUT & the ball is dead. This would be the only case or situation where it is possible for a homerun can be overturned & become an out without it being a case where the batter used an illegal bat or hit the ball while outside the batter's box. Ozuna can control his bat from going so far behind him that it hits the catcher's body. If he did not do it on purpose & only he can tell u that, he can control his bat from hitting the catcher just as the hundreds of other MLB players do. If it is a problem for him, he is a pro & can get coaching help on this & practice until his defect is cured. If he can NOT, then he can NOT be allowed to play this game Period.

[@justrelax9501]

As a catcher this is on the catcher.

[@rarelyaccurate6252]

Mlb should shorten the batters box and increase the catchers box. Right now these hits are a failure of the rules, whereas if it was expanded it would really be a failure of the players.

[@bigpoppa1234]

3:38 Oh no, imperial!

[@Yumi_Jay]

I just got a math lesson from this.

[@paulhopkins1905]

Honestly, I haven't heard of any other catcher than Smith having this issue. Has Ozuna hit any other catchers? If not, it sounds like a Will Smith problem

[@robertbrown7470]

Good point, but should be in the opposite direction. The catcher isn't hitting Ozuna. That's not the problem.

[@CrustyCrendan]

One thing you didn't account for in your math is that the catchers feet have to be in the box and the rest of his body will likely be leaning forward to receive the pitch. Given that information, his 1/2 in of leniency now is probably more like still a couple inches too far forward in a perfect scenario. Even if it's not against a rule, Ozuna has to do something about that. Not a coincidence that both times Smith got hit it was the same guy. When the fault clearly lies with Ozuna, not intentionally doing something to fix it is as good as doing it intentionally in the first place imo. He better figure it out or hes likely to have balls flying at HIS head in the near future

[@debragibson3489]

NO Bats into the catcher......

[@Krztph1331]

Batter was in the box and it was an acceptable backswing, catcher needs to back up or move his ass over. Inside pitches are dangerous so dont give the sign for one of you cant position yourself safely to catch it. Its not on the batter to move on the box to accomidate the catcher

[@timlewis5096]

Catcher needs to get further from the home base

[@MindGameArcade]

"Will Smith passes away due to a blow to the head" "Yeah but it was a legal play" Do we need the feds to enforce basic common sense?

[@davew8694]

No rules violation.

[@Duckybigfart]

Ozuna does that to my catcher we gunna have problems.

[@bethhentges]

He should hold the bat with both hands.

[@wingracer1614]

This is a guy that went from hitting .047 to over .200 and possibly being offensive player of the month in just 3 weeks. I'm not having him change a thing, it's working. Maybe next time he slumps, then we can work on that

[@HopinWishinPrayin]

Don't forget, Will Smith just returned from concussion protocol. That swing backward was quite exaggerated. That's not a normal backswing.

[@wingracer1614]

Normal for Ozuna. He does it every single time and he's no rookie. 10 year veteran. Yet only Smith and a couple others have been hit by it.

[@CooJoe05]

Unavoidable.....It is completely avoidable....It's ok for a Batter to hit the catcher in the HEAD, but the Catcher gets called for interference if his glove makes contact with the bat. WTH??????

[@tromptowers]

Let's see: 2 cubits and one silverado minus an elm length ... yup. (European metric guy here)

[@KekoJonesGaming]

The next day Ozuna homers! 😂