A strike will be charged to the batter when:

• A. A pitch is struck at and missed, but the ball hits the batter on the wrist.
• B. The pitcher commits an illegal pitch with no runners on base.
• C. The pitcher commits an illegal pitch with runners on base.
• D. A, B and C.

Answer: (A)

When the batter swings at a pitched ball and misses, that is a strike. If the ball then hits the batter, the strike still counts—the ball being hit by the batter does not erase the strike. Hitting the batter with a pitch only results in awarded first base if the batter did not swing at the pitch (and the ball touches him).

Illegal pitches are not strikes to the batter; they are treated as balls and carry different penalties, so they don’t create a strike count. That’s why the correct scenario is the one where the batter swings, misses, and the ball hits him afterward.