When is a check swing a strike? No actual defined rule?
 

As a lifetime baseball fan, it baffles me that there apparently is NO clear definition of when a check swing is a strike and when it is not… it cracks me up every time a slow mo replay is shown from the baseline angle.

Commentators often say really generic ways to describe if they think it is or is not… but as far as I know, baseball does not have a clear definition (bat crosses the plate? Hitter “breaks” his wrists?)

If anyone here has landed definitive, sourced definition - please do share!

Jeff

MLB rulebook doesn't have an actual definition on this so I guess it's just based on what the ump thinks/sees.

I've always thought it was when the bat breaks the plane of the front of home plate.

That seems to be the way they call it a lot of the time. What I've never understood is how a strike will be called on an attempted bunt, but often a check swing will be called a ball even though the bat went around further than in a bunt attempt.

I believe in the umpires opinion he believes that the player goes beyond his natural motion and "offers" at the pitch. Because it's an opinion call of what is "offering" they don't have a hard definition. In reality, there should probably be a lot more checked swing strikes than there actually is. This is kind of similar to a bunt strike without contact although that's not as controversial except in Little League.

This is the American Legion definition taught to me by a college umpire when I umpired 7+ years ago.

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