Fair or Foul in the Batter's Box
Mitchell from Cincinnati asks:
If a bunted ball is fielded before the ball leaves a batter's box, is the ball considered fair and in play?
The answer to this question depends on where the ball was when it was touched by an infielder. The foul lines (which are in fair territory) extend from the point of the plate that points towards the backstop and then runs along the plate's edge and down the line. If the ball settles or is touched within those lines, including on the plate, the ball is fair. If the ball settles or is touched outside of those lines then it is foul.
The important part to this rule is the fact that, even though the ball is in the batters box, it does not matter for this ruling. This can be a difficult call for the umpire to make because it can happen extremely fast and there are no lines in the batters box for him to use as guidance as to where fair and foul territory are.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Fair vs. Foul