When Is A Ball Foul In Baseball And Softball
- Any ball that crosses the foul lines in the air between home plate and first and third base without touching a player in the fair territory would be called a ...
- Any ball batted to the ground and goes foul before reaching first or third base will be called foul.
- Any ball that makes contact with a fielder in foul territory will be called foul.
Can a foul ball be blown Fair in baseball?
The ball is not ruled fair or foul, until the ball comes to a stop, is touched by a fielder, or goes past first or third base. The ball may zig-zag, back-and-forth, between fair and foul ground an unlimited number of times. The ruling of fair or foul is not made until the ball finally comes to a stop, or is touched, or goes past first or third base.
Do foul balls count in the batting average?
The National League Rules Committee decrees that all foul balls are to count as strike balls, except after two strikes. To cut the cost of lost foul balls, the committee urges that batters who foul off good strikes are to be disciplined. The American League will not adopt this rule for several years.
Is the ball fair or foul if it hits a base?
When a batter hits the ball, it will either go into fair territory or foul territory . Fair territory is the area between the foul lines. The foul lines are formed between home plate and first base and home plate and third base. They extend all the way to the outfield. The lines themselves are considered fair territory.
What if the ball hits the foul pole?
- When a ball is hit on the fly, over the outfield fence, it’s a home run if it is inside the foul poles as designated by the base lines coming ...
- If the batted ball hits the ground in fair territory past 1st or 3rd base, it remains a fair ball and is in play.
- If the batted ball h
How do you determine if a ball is fair or foul?
A ball is considered fair if it touches a player or an umpire while in fair territory. It is determined by the ball's position when it is touched. A foul ball occurs when a batted ball crosses foul territory and collides with a player or umpire.
Is it a foul ball if it hits the line?
(1) A fly ball or line drive, which passes over or inside first or third base in flight and curves to foul ground beyond such base, is not a fair hit; but a hit which goes over or through the fence is a fair hit if it is over fair ground when it leaves the field.
What does a foul ball count as?
A foul ball is also counted as a strike when a hitter has less than two strikes. When a batter accumulates three strikes, he is out. If the batter bunts a foul ball with two strikes then it is counted as a strike and the batter is out.
What determines a foul?
In basketball, a foul refers to illegal personal contact or unsportsmanlike conduct on the court or sidelines of a game. Most player fouls involve contact that impedes an opposing player's gameplay.
What is the definition of foul ball?
noun Baseball. a batted ground ball that is hit and played outside the foul lines, or that passes outside the foul lines at first or third base, or that is played outside the foul line between home and first or third base regardless of where hit.
Is it a foul ball if it hits the plate?
If a batted ball hits the plate first it's a foul ball. The foul lines are also within fair territory. In order to rule the ball foul, it must have come to rest in foul territory or be touched in foul territory.
What is the difference between a foul ball and a foul tip?
So what is the main difference between a foul tip and a foul ball? It's in the catcher's hands. A foul tip is a pitch that is nicked by the hitter's bat, goes directly into the catcher's hand or glove and is caught before touching the batter, the umpire or the ground. Anything else is a foul ball.
How do foul balls work?
According to the Little League Baseball® Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies – Rule 2.00 – foul ball: A foul ball is a batted ball that settles on foul territory between home and first base, or between home and third base, or that bounds past first or third base on, or over, foul territory, or that first ...
Why is a foul tip not an out?
A foul tip is always a strike, regardless of the existing ball-and-strike count. A player with two strikes against him is automatically struck out. A player with fewer than two strikes against him is not out.
Is 4 fouls out in baseball?
In baseball, there is no set limit to how many foul balls a batter can hit. Even though a foul ball is considered a strike, a foul ball will not increase the number of strikes when the batter already has two strikes in the count.
What is the difference between foul and violation?
Violations are typically called for minor infractions, while fouls are reserved for more egregious errors. Violations describe breaches of basic rules like dribbling, bringing the ball up the court, or passing the ball inbounds.
Is a dropped foul ball in play?
If it drops to the ground, it is simply a foul ball, and runners cannot advance. A ground ball hit in foul territory is simply a foul ball, and cannot be played.
What happens if a ball hits the foul pole?
If a ball strikes the foul pole, it is ruled as fair. It does not matter if the ball bounces into foul territory after hitting the pole. The ball only needs to touch the foul pole to be fair -- even grazing the pole is sufficient.
Is the line in or foul in softball?
Batted Balls On a softball diamond, lines exist called the foul lines. These lines are drawn from the back or home plate, to the backside of the first and third base bags, all the way to the outfield. At the end there are two “foul poles” which, despite their name, are usually in fair territory.
Is a ball fair if it hits the base?
Batted balls that first contact the field between home plate and first or third base are considered fair if they subsequently bounce over or directly contact either base, or otherwise pass either base while in fair territory.
What are the 5 violations in basketball?
Excessive time takenDefensive three-second violation (Illegal defense) (penalized as a technical foul)Five-second rule.Shot clock violation.Time line violation, exceeding the time limit to reach the frontcourt (8- or 10-second violation)Three seconds rule (Lane violation)
What Happens on a Foul Ball in Baseball?
What does not vary is that a batter cannot reach base and a batter is not out for merely hitting a foul ball.
How many foul balls were thrown in baseball in 2019?
In 2019, there were 466,808 strikes thrown in Major League Baseball, with 28.2% of them being foul balls, equating to over 131,000 foul balls over the season. Per game, that equates to a little over 54 foul balls.
Why is it illegal to bunt a ball foul with two strikes?
Because a bunt makes it easier to direct a ball in a certain direction, bun ting a ball foul with two strikes is prohibited to prevent batters from purposely bunting pitches foul just to tire out a pitcher.
What is a ball that passes the foul pole in fair territory and lands in foul territory?
Any ball that passes the foul pole in fair territory and lands in foul territory (therefore curling around the pole) is a home run. Within the infield, the rules are a little more complicated. Due to the natural spin of a baseball hitting a bat, many batted balls don’t travel in a straight line.
What is fair in baseball?
The simplest rules are balls hit beyond the infield. Any ball that takes its first bounce on or inside either foul line is considered fair.
Why should you watch out for foul balls?
In other words, whenever a hitter sends a ball foul, you better watch out, because that ball is much more likely to become a souvenir than an out. So the next time you are at a baseball game, keep an eye out for foul balls because there are bound to be a lot of them.
What happens when the ball winds up somewhere out of play?
The ball winds up somewhere out of play, and nothing happens on the field. You may have even gone to a game and come home with the result of this: a foul ball.
What is a foul ball?
A foul ball is any pitch that a batter hits outside of the field of play that does not make contact with a player who is inside the field of play.
What happens when you hit a foul ball in baseball?
When bunting, if you already have 2 strikes against you, the next foul ball you hit will be called a 3rd strike. As with any foul ball, action is immediately stopped and any runners on base who were attempting to advance must return to their original base.
What happens when a pitcher delivers a pitch and the batter bunts the ball down the baseline?
The pitcher delivers the pitch and the batter bunts the ball down the 1st baseline, but it rolls foul before it gets to 1st base.
What is a foul pole in baseball?
The foul poles are used to determine whether or not a ball hit over the outfield fence will be a home run, or just a long foul ball. If the ball crosses the foul pole on the inside, it’s a home run. If it crosses the foul pole on the outside, it’s a foul ball.
What does it mean when a batter hits a foul ball?
If the batter is bunting, swinging or even if they are ducking out of the way of a wild pitch. If the bat hits the ball and it goes foul, it is a “foul ball.”
Why does the ball end up rolling back into fair territory before it reaches 1st base?
Due to the spin on the ball, it ends up rolling back into fair territory before it reaches 1st base.
How many ways can you strike out from hitting a foul ball?
There is 1 and only 1 way you can strike out from hitting a foul ball.
What is a foul ball in baseball?
A foul ball in baseball is a baseball that is hit by a batter into foul territory. Foul territory is determined by the foul lines and the foul poles. It does not include the foul lines themselves.
Is a foul ball considered a strike?
A foul ball is considered a strike only under certain circumstances. If the batter has less than two strikes and hits a foul ball, it counts as a strike. If the batter has two strikes and hits a foul ball, it does not count as the third strike; it is considered a dead ball and the strike count remains the same.
What is a foul ball?
A foul ball is when the umpire declares the ball as "dead" and play temporarily stops. Below are examples of when a foul ball will be called in a baseball game:
Where are the foul lines in baseball?
The foul lines extend from home plate to the outfield fence and separate foul territory and fair territory. The foul lines are used by the umpires to judge a fair ball and a foul ball. It's important to know about the foul lines since the ball can travel along them when it is hit.
What is the umpire's decision?
Umpire's Decision. Whether the ball lands in fair territory or foul territory, it influences the result of that play. The ball is determined to be fair or foul once it stops rolling, if a fielder touches the ball, and if it passes first base and third base while remaining in fair territory. Umpires will use the fouls lines ...
What are the foul poles on the baseball field?
The foul poles are tall yellow poles that mark where the foul lines meet the outfield fence. They have wire netting attached that is parallel to the outfield fence. Each field has two foul poles, one for the left foul line and one for the right foul line.
What is fair territory in baseball?
Fair territory is the area including the first base and third base lines extending from home plate to the fences at left field and right field. Before the ball is in play, all fielders (except the catcher ), must be in fair territory. Foul territory is everything outside the first base and third base lines extending to the fence.
Where does a flyball land?
A flyball lands in the infield between home base and first base or home base and third base and then bounces into foul territory without being touched by a fielder. The ball originally lands in fair territory then bounces and settles in foul territory before passing first base or third base.
Where does a flyball go in baseball?
The ball goes over the fence in fair territory. The ball lands and settles on the foul lines. The ball touches the foul pole while traveling in fair territory. A flyball lands in fair territory past first base or third base and then bounces into foul territory.
What is a foul ball?
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that: Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or. Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or. First falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or.
What is foul ground in baseball?
Foul territory or foul ground is defined as that part of the playing field outside the first and third base lines extended to the fence and perpendicularly upwards.
What is a strike in baseball?
A strike is, however, recorded for the pitcher for every foul ball the batter hits, regardless of the count. If any member of the fielding team catches a foul ball before it touches the ground or lands outside the field perimeter, the batter is out. However, the caught ball is in play and base runners may attempt to advance.
How many strikes does a batter have against him?
If the batter already has two strikes against him when he hits a foul ball, a strike is not issued unless the ball was bunted to become a foul ball, in which case a third strike is issued and a strikeout recorded for the batter and pitcher. A strike is, however, recorded for the pitcher for every foul ball the batter hits, regardless of the count.
What does it mean when a batted ball touches a batter?
By interpretation, a batted ball that touches a batter while in his batter's box is foul regardless of whether it is over foul territory.
How is a foul fly judged?
A foul fly shall be judged according to the relative position of the ball and the foul line, including the foul pole, and not as to whether the fielder is on foul or fair territory at the time he touches the ball. If the foul ball gets caught, then it would be judged as an out.
When do fielders drop foul flies?
On rare occasions, such as in extra innings or the ninth inning of a tie game when a runner is on third base, with less than two outs, fielders have been known to let long foul flies drop rather than risk losing the game on a sacrifice fly.
What does it mean when a ball doesn't land until it reaches the stands?
This is excitingbecause a fair ball that doesn't land until it reaches the stands is an automatic run for the batter and any other member of the offense who is occupying a base at the time: it's a homerun. And baseballs can bounce into the gray from either fair or foul territory.
Can a baseball stop over foul territory?
It would have broken the laws of physics. Red: now you know why we can't categorically state that a baseball that stops there is always a foul ball.
Do batters bounce from fair territory to foul territory?
But there are two problems with this. First, batters often hit baseballs that then bounce from fair territory into foul territory (and vice-versa, which is much less frequent). In fact, batters used to do this on purpose. Nine defensive players weren't enough to cover all that ground.
Is a fair ball bad for the batter?
A fair ball allows the batter to at least tryto advance to first base or beyond. Maybe he'll be successful, maybe not . On the other hand, a foul ball is usually bad for the batter and his team, although in some situations it's just indifferent. We'll discuss the basics of all this elsewhere.
Is a baseball a foul ball?
the defense touches it while it is moving on or above fair territory. A (batted) baseball is a foul ballin all other cases.
What Is A Foul Ball?
1st Base – 3rd Base & The Foul Poles
- Think of the white chalk lines that you see on the field as boundaries. When a ball is hit within the boundaries of the chalk lines, it is a “fair ball” and it is then up to the defense to try and get an out. 1st & 3rd base are the boundaries for balls hit in the infield. If a batter hits a ball on the ground and it goes foul before reaching 1st or 3rd base, then it will be considered a “foul ball.” If a batter hit…
When Is A Batted Ball Considered Foul?
- Any batted ball that first contacts a fielder while the ball is in foul territory is considered foul.
- If not touched by a fielder in fair territory, any batted ball that first contacts the field in foul territory beyond 1st or 3rd base — with the foul lines and foul poles counting as fair territory...
- Batted balls that first contact the field between home plate and 1st or 3rd base are considered foul if they don’t subsequently bounce over or directly contact either base, otherwise pass eit…
- Any batted ball that first contacts a fielder while the ball is in foul territory is considered foul.
- If not touched by a fielder in fair territory, any batted ball that first contacts the field in foul territory beyond 1st or 3rd base — with the foul lines and foul poles counting as fair territory...
- Batted balls that first contact the field between home plate and 1st or 3rd base are considered foul if they don’t subsequently bounce over or directly contact either base, otherwise pass either ba...
- Batted balls that leave the park on a fly to the left of the left-field foul pole or to the right of the right-field foul pole — without striking the pole in either case — are considered foul.
Is A Foul Ball A Strike?
- Yes and no. Here is the rule concerning foul balls and strikes: The first 2 foul balls that a batter hits during an at bat will be called as strikes. In baseball and most college and professional softball leagues, after the first 2 foul balls are hit and recorded as strikes, there is no limit on the foul balls a batter can hit during an at bat. This is the case from Little Leaguethrough Major Leag…
Can You Strike Out with A Foul Ball?
- There is 1 and only 1 way you can strike out from hitting a foul ball. If the batter already has 2 strikes against them and they attempt to bunt and the ball goes foul, the batter will be called out and charged with a strikeout. The pitcher will also be credited with a strikeout. I will never give the bunt sign to a batter who already has 2 strikes against them. Foul balls from bunting are commo…
Trivia Time!
- Lets run through a few scenarios and see if you can answer. No peeking! Question #1: A batter is attempting to pull off a sacrifice bunt. The batter already has 2 strikes against them in this at bat. The pitcher delivers the pitch and the batter bunts the ball down the 1st baseline, but it rolls foul before it gets to 1st base. Is the batter out? Can the runners on base advance? Why? Question #…
Wrap It Up!
- A foul ball is any ball hit by a batter that lands in foul territory. Remember these things when trying to determine if a ball is foul or fair: A ball hit in the infield must stay fair before crossing 1st or 3rd base, or make contact with a player who is in fair territory before rolling foul. A ball hit in the outfield (after 1st or 3rd base) must land in fair territory or make contact with a player in fair terri…