No doubt that it was a strike. He never pulled the bat back, and ball only missed it by two inches. Not sure what he was doing. Almost like he froze, and didn't know what to do. Are you sure that’s the rule? The applicable MLB rule says that a strike is a pitch that is “struck at by the batter and missed”. Just holding the bat out isn’t “striking at” the ball. Of course, the batter froze with a fastball heading right for his face. closecallsports.com has a write-up on it since there was an ejection on the play. Very good website to follow for all ejections and unusual plays.