Baseball Instruction/Fair or Foul

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Question
Ok so if the batter hits the ball it bounces once before it goes over the third base in fair territory, then when the ball comes down in the outfield(since it was kind of like a chopper), it lands in foul territory? Is it a fair or foul ball?

Thanks
Heather

Answer
Heather,

To determine if a ground ball is fair or foul, you take the ball's position when it passes the base. It doesn't matter whether it was in foul or fair territory before crossing the base. Therefore, in your situation, since the ball bounded OVER the base, it would be a fair ball.

However, if the ball wasn't a ground ball when it passed the base, it would be determined by where it FIRST lands after crossing the base. Therefore, if your situation had been a line drive (not bouncing until after the base), it would have been foul.

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Andrew Senger

Expertise

Anything related to baseball rules.

Experience

I am a baseball umpire. I am certified for High School (NFHS), and work in Missouri (MSHSAA). I also umpire for local leagues that use both NFHS and OBR.

Organizations
NFHS - National Federation of High Schools MSHSAA - Missouri State High School Athletic Association GSLAU - Greater St. Louis Association of Umpires

Education/Credentials
I have attended numerous training lessons on umpiring. Many of these lessons including Rules Interpretations.

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