If The Baseball Hits The Foul Line Is It Fair?

John Means

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Fair territory extends out to the first and third base lines, as well as half way between them If a batted ball is not touched by a fielder in fair territory, it is considered fair A batted ball that first contacts any part of the field beyond these boundaries is considered fair

If The Baseball Hits The Foul Line Is It Fair?

A batted ball is considered fair if first contacts a fielder in fair territory – even if it goes beyond the reach of the player on first or third base. If not touched by a fielder, any batted ball that first contacts the field beyond first or third base in fair territory is considered fair – no matter where it lands.

This includes balls hit into foul ground and kicked off the wall into play by an outfielder trying to make a catch (or just plain lucky). Keep this rule in mind when you’re playing baseball at home: always play within your bounds. Play hard and have fun, but don’t take unnecessary risks – safety comes before all else.

A Fair Ball

If a batted ball is caught by a fielder in fair territory, it’s considered to be fair. A batted ball that goes over the fence and out of bounds is not considered to be fair.

If there are two or more bases occupied at the time of contact with the ball, then it’s considered a legal hit regardless of where it was fielded from on the field. It’s up to umpires as to whether or not an errant throw will result in an automatic home run for the hitter if first contacted by a fielder in foul territory. This decision is made during instant replay reviews (if applicable).

Fair territory includes all parts of the playing surface between home plate and first base, including both baserunners’ lanes and any part of third base which has been touched by either runner before he touches home plate – even if no one else is touching it.

Fair when not touched by fielder

If the ball doesn’t touch a fielder, it’s considered fair play no matter where it is in the field. This includes balls that first contact the ground beyond first or third base on either side of home plate – even if they’re foul by rule.

A batted ball that touches any other player before finally touching the ground is still fair, as long as it stays in fair territory at all times. For example, if a flyball bounces off catcher’s chest and then hits another player standing near second base, both those players would be able to advance based on this ruling – even though second base is technically out of bounds (due to interference).

As long as you don’t obstruct an outfielder trying to catch a batted ball in flight (by jumping into their path), you’ll be fine playing along with these rules.

Is a baseball foul if it hits the line?

When a baseball is hit, it travels through the air at high speeds. If it hits the ground before hitting a player or object, then that ball is considered to have “batted” fair.

Foul Ball Behind Line
Foul Ball Behind Line

If it hits someone or something else after being batted fair, then that ball is called a “foul”. There is a lot of debate surrounding whether or not it’s legal to hit a fly ball or line drive if it crosses the foul pole.

The rule is pretty simple, if you make contact with the ball before it goes over the fence, then you are considered in scoring position and can advance on base. If you make contact with the ball after it has gone over the fence, your play is ruled as an out.

What happens if a baseball hits the foul pole?

If a baseball hits the foul pole, it will go straight up into the air. At first, it will just look like a normal ball, but as it rises higher and higher, you’ll see that there’s something strange happening – the ball is shrinking.

This happens because of the atmosphere around Earth. The thinner air near the ground means that objects travelling through it are slowed down more than objects travelling in thicker air. So when a baseball hits the pole, its speed decreases quickly and produces an effect similar to heat shrinkage on clothing – which is why balls hit close to poles usually don’t rise very high

If a baseball hits the foul pole, the fair play rule applies. This means that if the ball comes back home, it is an infield fly. If the ball goes out of play, it is a groundout.

Can a baseball go foul and then fair?

A baseball can go foul and then fair. This happens when a player hits the ball so hard that it goes out of bounds, but then comes back into play. If the ball is in foul territory and crosses back into fair territory before passing the 1st/3rd base (without the influence of a fielder), it’s fair.

If the ball is in foul territory and passes back into fair territory after the base, it’s foul.

Is a dropped foul ball fair?

A dropped foul ball is not always considered a fair play, depending on the circumstances. If it’s an infield fly ball that’s caught by a fielder without touching the ground, then it would be classified as a fair catch.

For drop balls in general, if they’re hit near enough to the ground so that any part of the ball touches down before being fielded – even if just for an instant – then it would be classified as a foul ball and ruled incorrect/unfairly batted by the opposing team player(s).

What is the foul ball rule in baseball?

The foul ball rule in baseball is a set of guidelines that determine when a batted ball is considered to be out-of-play. This means that the player who hit the ball cannot try to catch it or touch it again until after it has been caught by someone else on either team.

The foul ball rule in baseball states that any batted ball which hits the pitcher’s rubber and rebounds into foul territory is a foul ball.

This means that if you hit the pitcher with a fair ball, he can reach back and catch it anyway – even if it goes out of play. If the batted ball doesn’t touch a fielder before bouncing off the ground or going out of play, then it is considered to be in fair territory and as such, an ordinary player can field it without penalty.

Is it foul if it hits the plate?

The foul lines are established as the point at which a pitched ball begins to travel in an unnatural or unpredictable manner and is therefore likely to cause physical contact between players.

If you hit the plate, it’s a foul ball – even if your hand never leaves your batting stance. If the ball touches any part of your body before going into spectator territory, then it’s a fair catch and no penalty will be given (unless there was interference).

In order for the ball to be called a foul ball, it must first touch either fielder’s clothing or ground within their playing area – including any poles/bases obstructing their path on either side of home plate. However, this does not include balls that bounce off surfaces outside of these areas without touching anyone or anything else first (known as dead balls).

As long as the ball comes to rest in foul territory or is touched by someone in violation of these rules, it counts as an official Foul Ball and results in points scored against both teams

What happens if a batter hits the ball in foul territory?

If a batter is hit by his own batted ball, it’s a foul ball – no interference involved. If the runner touches the batted ball before it goes over the fence, then there’s interference and he can be called out at first or second base (depending on how far he reached).

Fouls in Baseball
Fouls in Baseball

Infielders are often positioned close to each other near home plate in order to make an easy pick off attempt. When this happens, balls that might normally go through may instead be caught by an infielder resulting in a foul ground rule double play.

Finally, if two players run into each other while trying to catch or throw a batted ball and cause contact with either player before it crosses the line of scrimmage between them. This would also count as interference and result in an out being recorded at whichever position was touched last.

To Recap

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to whether a baseball that hits the foul line is fair. It all depends on how close the ball was to the line, and what kind of contact was made.

If there was minimal contact with the foul line, then it would be considered an automatic out.

Photo of author

John Means

John Means is a professional baseball player who has played in the major leagues for the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 2009. He was traded to the Athletics in 2012. Baseball is his favorite sport. His passion about the game is evident in his play. Now he write blogs about baseball and other things whenever he has some free time. LinkedIn

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