I think Dusty might just be senile at this point.

[Lt Melmo]

Per Rotoworld:

Though Corey Patterson was supposed to be at the plate, David Ross batted out of order in the ninth inning of an 8-3 loss to the Mets on Sunday.

What is this, Little League? Per MLB rules, Ross has to complete his at-bat to be ruled out, and the outcome of his at-bat is then discarded with no runners allowed to advance. The Mets allowed him to do so, and since he lined out to right there was little harm done. Ross was the batter listed in the order after Patterson, so he was forced to come back to the plate for his 'real' at-bat and Patterson was charged the out. Ross singled after returning to the batter's box. There's almost too many jokes here for us to enjoy. Patterson making outs even when he's not at-bat is just one of them. One also has to wonder exactly what function Dusty Baker is serving if he can't even make sure his hitters know where they're hitting.

[longflyball]

I gather there would have been no penalty if the Reds had noticed the mistake before Ross finished his at-bat and replaced Ross with Patterson. That's silly.

[Mad Mark]

To be fair, they do have that giant card in the dugout that the players are also allowed to consult...

Dusty Baker: yet another guy we're glad the Orioles didn't hire.

[Mad Mark]

I gather there would have been no penalty if the Reds had noticed the mistake before Ross finished his at-bat and replaced Ross with Patterson. That's silly.

Even in rec league softball, the offending team has until the at-bat is resolved to get things straight. (We encountered it two weeks ago when the other team made an unannounced, and therefore illegal, substitution.)

[DrungoHazewood]

To be fair, they do have that giant card in the dugout that the players are also allowed to consult...

Dusty Baker: yet another guy we're glad the Orioles didn't hire.

And in most parks they have this thing called a "Score-Board" where they post things like lineups and, well, you know, scores. I believe the Bostons or the New York nine started this before the turn of the century to help with the cranks in the back of the bleaching boards who couldn't hear the announcements from the guy with the megaphone.

[FO2020]

I could be mistaken here, but I seem to recall this happening to the Cubs when Dusty managed them too. I don't think this is the first time this has happened. In fact, it did happen, and ironically enough against the Reds.

Per retrosheet.org

4/16/2004 - In the top of the seventh inning, Cubs manager Dusty Baker intended to place two new players in the lineup with a double switch but failed to tell Umpire C.B. Bucknor. When the Cubs batted in the bottom of the inning, shortstop Ramon Martinez came to the plate in the ninth spot in the order and doubled. The Reds protested that the Cubs were batting out of order. Pitcher Kent Mercker, the proper batter, was called out. Baker argued with the umpires but was told that the call stood. Yelling & screaming, he tossed his lineup card on the ground and was ejected by Bucknor. Baker threw his hat, walked away and returned; he tossed his hat again, stomped to the dugout and kicked some items in the on deck circle before finally leaving the field. The Cubs won in the bottom of the ninth, 11-10, when Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou hit back-to-back homers to end the game. When Baker arrived home that day, his son called him "Mad Dog."

[davearm]

^^^^^

I recall that game. Dusty implemented a double-switch without bothering to mention anything to the umpires. Duh!

[NewMarketSean]

I always thought that the anti-Dusty stuff was a bit overblown, but when something like this happens, I can see why so many people dislike him as a manager. This kind of stuff shouldn't happen in high school let alone the bigs.

[66-70-83-??]

Most of the time that this happens is because of an error the manager (or a coach) makes before the game- writing up the lineup card for the umpire.

Almost everytime that batting out of order happens in MLB it is because the umpires lineup card differs from the one posted in the dugout. The manager writes Bimbleman batting 7th, Jones batting 8th on his card but reverses them on the umps card.

Considering that it only happens about once every 5000 major league games- that is a reasonable and understandable "error" rate.

The correct ruling is to erase any baserunner advances (but not the outs made on baserunners) and rule out the proper batter, not the one who batted out of turn.

FYI, from MLB rules:

6.07

BATTING OUT OF TURN.

(a) A batter shall be called out, on appeal, when he fails to bat in his proper turn, and another batter completes a time at bat in his place.

(1) The proper batter may take his place in the batter’s box at any time before the improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and any balls and strikes shall be counted in the proper batter’s time at bat.

(b) When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the first pitch to the next batter of either team, or before any play or attempted play, the umpire shall (1) declare the proper batter out; and (2) nullify any advance or score made because of a ball batted by the improper batter or because of the improper batter’s advance to first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise.

NOTE: If a runner advances, while the improper batter is at bat, on a stolen base, balk, wild pitch or passed ball, such advance is legal.

© When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and a pitch is made to the next batter of either team before an appeal is made, the improper batter thereby becomes the proper batter, and the results of his time at bat become legal.

(d) (1) When the proper batter is called out because he has failed to bat in turn, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of the proper batter thus called out; (2) When an improper batter becomes a proper batter because no appeal is made before the next pitch, the next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of such legalized improper batter. The instant an improper batter’s actions are legalized, the batting order picks up with the name following that of the legalized improper batter.

Rule 6.07 Comment: The umpire shall not direct the attention of any person to the presence in the batter’s box of an improper batter. This rule is designed to require constant vigilance by the players and managers of both teams. There are two fundamentals to keep in mind: When a player bats out of turn, the proper batter is the player called out. If an improper batter bats and reaches base or is out and no appeal is made before a pitch to the next batter, or before any play or attempted play, that improper batter is considered to have batted in proper turn and establishes the order that is to follow.

APPROVED RULING

To illustrate various situations arising from batting out of turn, assume a firstinning batting order as follows:

Abel-Baker-Charles-Daniel-Edward-Frank-George-Hooker-Irwin.

PLAY (1). Baker bats. With the count 2 balls and 1 strike, (a) the offensive team discovers the error or (b) the defensive team appeals. RULING: In either case, Abel replaces Baker, with the count on him 2 balls and 1 strike.

PLAY (2). Baker bats and doubles. The defensive team appeals (a) immediately or (b) after a pitch to Charles. RULING: (a) Abel is called out and Baker is the proper batter; (b) Baker stays on second and Charles is the proper batter.

PLAY (3). Abel walks. Baker walks. Charles forces Baker. Edward bats in Daniel’s turn. While Edward is at bat, Abel scores and Charles goes to second on a wild pitch. Edward grounds out, sending Charles to third. The defensive team appeals (a) immediately or (b) after a pitch to Daniel. RULING: (a) Abel’s run counts and Charles is entitled to second base since these advances were not made because of the improper batter batting a ball or advancing to first base. Charles must return to second base because his advance to third resulted from the improper batter batting a ball. Daniel is called out, and Edward is the proper batter; (b) Abel’s run counts and Charles stays on third. The proper batter is Frank.

PLAY (4). With the bases full and two out. Hooker bats in Frank’s turn, and triples, scoring three runs. The defensive team appeals (a) immediately, or (b) after a pitch to George. RULING: (a) Frank is called out and no runs score. George is the proper batter to lead off the second inning; (b) Hooker stays on third and three runs score. Irwin is the proper batter.

PLAY (5). After Play (4) (b) above, George continues at bat. (a) Hooker is picked off third base for the third out, or (b) George flies out, and no appeal is made. Who is the proper leadoff batter in the second inning? RULING: (a) Irwin. He became the proper batter as soon as the first pitch to George legalized Hooker’s triple; (b) Hooker. When no appeal was made, the first pitch to the leadoff batter of the opposing team legalized George’s time at bat.

PLAY (6). Daniel walks and Abel comes to bat. Daniel was an improper batter, and if an appeal is made before the first pitch to Abel, Abel is out, Daniel is removed from base, and Baker is the proper batter. There is no appeal, and a pitch is made to Abel. Daniel’s walk is now legalized, and Edward thereby becomes the proper batter. Edward can replace Abel at any time before Abel is put out or becomes a runner. He does not do so. Abel flies out, and Baker comes to bat. Abel was an improper batter, and if an appeal is made before the first pitch to Baker, Edward is out, and the proper batter is Frank. There is no appeal, and a pitch is made to Baker. Abel’s out is now legalized, and the proper batter is Baker. Baker walks. Charles is the proper batter. Charles flies out. Now Daniel is the proper batter, but he is on second base. Who is the proper batter? RULING: The proper batter is Edward. When the proper batter is on base, he is passed over, and the following batter becomes the proper batter.

[HeatherC12]

Not that anyone here will care since bashing Dusty seems to be a sporting event every so often on this board, but the regular bench coach (Chris Speier) was acting as the third base coach yesterday due to the regular third base coach (Mark Berry) returning to his home in Arizona to take care of his ailing father. I totally understand that things should have been taken care of in this situation (both David Ross and Dusty took the blame for it in post game interviews) but without the regular bench coach in the dugout, I can see how things may have been a little more out of sorts than normal and how something stupid could have been missed during the game.

[PaulFolk]

Mike Hargrove and the Orioles did this in a game five years ago. In fact, it was the game that ended with Jack Cust's infamous slip-and-slide between third and home. The O's batted out of order in the first inning-- but the thing is, nobody noticed. Joe Torre was just as asleep at the switch as Hargrove was.

Ooh, I found my game recap for it!

[jiminnj]

I remember a game with Weaver managing, probably in 69-71 era, where the other team had one of these slip ups with the line-up card, they posted one and handed the ump another. The guys involved in the order kept making outs and Weaver, who was given a copy of what was handed to the umps, said nothing about it. And then in about the 7th inning or so, one of the guys batting out of order got a big hit, and Weaver came out had a long talk with the umps, the guy who got the hit was called out and the rally was killed. The announcers for the game had been given the wrong lineup too, so boy were they confused for a long time with what had happened.