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Originally Posted by Fritz
Since the batted ball DID NOT go sharp and direct to the catcher's hands, you would think it now is classified as a Foul Ball because it touched something in foul territory (catcher's mask). And I can't find anything in OBR that says that a foul BALL is dead when it strikes a catcher's equipment - otherwise, that second portion of your OP (hits the mask on the way down) would kill it.
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The ball in the second part of the OP was not classified as a FOUL BALL, it was classified as a FLY BALL. That's why it can hit the mask first, because the mask is considered part of the player's person, and does not kill the ball on a FLY BALL when it gets hit. A FLY BALL is not considered either fair or foul until it is either a CATCH or a NO CATCH.
That's all that needed to be said: The FLY BALL bounced off the catcher's mask, then was caught. Perfectly legal.