What happens if a batter allows a 3-2 pitched ball outside the strike zone to touch him?

When a batter allows a 3-2 pitched ball, which is outside the strike zone, to touch him, the rules dictate that he should be awarded first base. This situation arises because a batter is entitled to the protection of the rules regarding hit-by-pitches. If the ball hits the batter and they did not swing at it, regardless of whether it is a full count (3-2), they are granted first base as long as they did not purposely move into the pitch in an attempt to be hit.

The critical aspect of this rule is that the batter does not need to evade the pitch; if the ball makes contact with the batter while a pitch has not been ruled a strike, the player is granted the base for taking a position in the batter's box and being hit by the pitch. This ruling seeks to protect batters from being unfairly penalized for pitches that they are not able to avoid, particularly on full counts where a pitcher might be trying to throw outside the strike zone to coax a swing or induce a miss.

In this scenario, since the ball was outside the strike zone, if it hits the batter, it does not count as a strike, nor does it result in an out, rather the action leads to