Foul tip caught, foul ball, or out?
 

This almost happened today- i'm not sure what i would have called so i want to check on here with you guys:

What if the ball goes sharp and direct to the mitt, then becomes temporarily stuck behind the catcher's chest protector, then eventually falls out after about 3 full seconds, and the catcher catches it before it hits the ground.

What do you have and why?

I think I'll go with the MLBUM interpretation on a ball lodged in the catcher's equipment.


8-21-03 @ WUA Site — When a live ball enters a player's uniform or the catcher's gear, the ball is to be ruled dead and no subsequent outs can be obtained by the defense. The umpire is then directed to employ common sense and fairness and place the runners such that the act of the ball becoming dead is nullified. The umpire may not, however, enforce any outs that he thinks may have occurred had the ball remained live. Outs occurring before the ball went out of play stand.

Tim.

And, if it was a third strike the batter is out because it hit the catcher's mitt first and never touched the ground.

Help, How Do I Get Out?
 

The deab ball status and the uncaught third strike sceam FOUL BALL.

The catcher dislodged the ball from beneath his (attached) equipment.

What have I failed to consider to get a strike OUT call?

"The umpire may not, however, enforce any outs that he thinks may have occurred had the ball remained live."

FOUL BALL!

Would your rulings be any different in FED?

What? The ball still was never caught.

It was caught, but by rule, once it entered the player's uniform it becomes a dead ball. There is no "waiting period" to see if it comes back out. The ball is dead immediately upon becoming lodged in the catcher's gear, and no outs can be enforced on the play after the ball becomes dead. The ruling would be a foul ball, so in this case, no outs on this play.

I based my comment on the fact that the ball "becomes temporarily stuck behind the catcher's chest protector, then eventually falls out after about 3 full seconds, and the catcher catches it before it hits the ground." The catcher did not pull out a lodged ball, it just fell out. 3 seconds is a long time so I can see how an umpire would rule the ball is lodged, and therefore dead. But, I'm not aware of a time limit on a ball to be considered lodged so in the judgement of this umpire it wasn't if it fell out on it's own in 3 seconds.

What if a ball got by the catcher and stuck in the backstop fencing, and as the catcher went back to get it, but before he touched it, it fell to the ground?

What if a ball bounces under the catcher on a swinging 3rd strike, runs up the umpire's leg and hits him in the throat, underneath the extension on his mask, sticks there briefly and then drops to the ground when the umpire jerks his head back as he realizes he has been hit in the throat and the ball is still there?

What is the time limit on being lodged?

In reading the MLBUM interpretation I would say it's considered lodged as soon as it enters the gear.


Tim.