Expert: Geoff - 4/24/2007

Question
QUESTION: Is a batted ball that hits homeplate FIRST and then lands in "fair territoy" a fair ball? And how does an umpire determine if the ball first hits the ground in the batters box or just outside the box in fair territory? And why do you never see this call questioned? It has got to be a gray area........
ANSWER: Hi Steve,

Thanks for writing.

The reason why you never see this play challenged is because so long as the ball has not gone past first or third base, it doesn't matter where the ball first hits - fair or foul, what matters is where it is first touched by a fielder.

I'm sure you've seen plays of balls rolling down one of the lines, as soon as the balls rolls foul, the fielder touches it making it a foul ball.  If the ball rolled back into fair territory (before reaching first or third base) it would again potentially be a fair ball (if it was touched by the fielder while the ball was in fair territory).

So regardless of if the ball starts out by hitting off of home plate, or the fair portion of the batter's box, or the foul portion of the batter's box - it just doesn't matter!  What matters is where it ends up when it is either touched by a fielder or goes past first or third base.

The only gray area is whether or not the batted ball hits the batter in foul territory.  If so, it's a foul ball.  If a batted ball hits the batter when he's in fair territory the batter is out.

Best Wishes,

Geoff


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, I guess I'm a little thick headed, but I am still confused. If a ball FIRST hits foul is it not forever foul? I always thought this was the deciding factor about whether a ball was foul or fair. And if this is true what about a bunt? They rarely go past first or third? I'm truely confused as you can see, and I have played or watched baseball all of my years. So just answer this. Isn't homeplate fair territory because the lines are on the back edges of the plate and if a ball hits off of the plate it is a fair ball no matter whether the ball goes past first or third? ie..the bunt

I appreciate your help and patience with me on this. It is just one of those things that over the years has escaped me, and I decided to finally get to the bottom of it.

Years ago after I had played baseball for all of my youth, a friend and I were watching the World Series. Something was said about the catcher "holding onto a 3rd strike foul tip for the out." I said,"but he fouled it off" he shouldn't be out. My buddy said, "how did you play all of those years and miss out on that?" I really felt dumb, but hey, some things get by you sometime.

Answer
Hi Steve,

Glad to help try and clear things up.  Baseball is a complicated sport with lots of terminology to try and learn.  I remember I was a huge fan of the sport for years and years before I realized that a curve ball doesn't curve left to right (9 o'clock to 3 o'clock) or right to left (3 o'clock to 9 o'clock) but it curves DOWN (12 o'clock to 6 o'clock).

But I digress...  :)

Here's a link that defines things like fair balls, foul balls, and foul tips.  I think it will help.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/definition_terms_2.jsp

You are correct in that home plate is in fair territory and that the 1st and 3rd base foul lines (which are also in fair territory) line up with the back edges of home plate.  That's why home plate has 5 sides so that it will line up properly with the foul lines.  

Where you are stuck though is in thinking that a ball that first lands in fair territory is automatically a fair ball; and that a ball that first lands foul is automatically a foul ball.  That is only true if it lands past 1st or 3rd base.  

If the ball doesn't go past 1st or third base it is fair if first touched by a fielder while the ball is in fair territory; it is foul if it is first touched by a fielder while the ball is in foul territory.

The definitions you can read from the link above don't talk about where the ball lands but where the ball "settles".  In an example the definitions say that if the batted ball first hits the pitcher's rubber on the pitcher's mound and then deflects foul (before the 1st or 3rd base bags) and settles in foul territory, it's a foul ball even though the batter hit the ball right up the middle.  

If the ball hasn't gone past 1st or 3rd base, and the ball "settles" in foul territory it is foul, if it settles in fair territory it is fair.

Bunts rarely go past 1st or 3rd base.  If it settles in fair territory it is fair, if it settles in foul territory it is foul.  It doesn't matter if it starts out fair or foul.  What matters is where it settles.  A batted ball can start fair, go foul, go back fair, go back foul... on and on until it finally settles fair or foul by rolling to a stop, going past 1st or 3rd, or by being touched by a fielder.  That's why a fielder will touch it in fair territory if he thinks he can throw the batter out, or wait until it (hopefully) rolls foul before touching it if he doesn't think he can throw the batter out.

Hope this helps.

Geoff