Once a batter has completed his turn at bat, who may appeal a batting out of order?

In baseball, once a batter has completed his turn at bat, the rules specify that only the defensive team may appeal a batting out of order situation. This is because the defensive team is the one that is impacted by any violation of the batting order. If a team is concerned that a player batted out of sequence, it is their responsibility to bring this to the umpire's attention through an appeal.

When an appeal is made, the umpire will determine if the batting out of order occurred. If the defensive team is correct in their assertion, the offending player is ruled out for the infraction, and the proper next batter is then allowed to take their turn at bat. This upholds the order of play and ensures that the game proceeds correctly according to established rules.

On the other hand, the offensive team cannot appeal a batting out of order violation, as they benefit from the batting order setup and would not have a vested interest in calling attention to an error on their part. Therefore, the rulings help to maintain fairness and order in the game.