Hitting object in fair, then going over fence

[David Emerling]

Originally Posted by bossman72

I'm pretty sure i know the ruling to these, but i'm not totally sure. A few scenarios:


Batter hits a shot that will clearly go over the fence for a home run.

1) The ball hits the scoreboard (which is entirely in fair territory and inside the fence) and (a) goes over the fence or (b) deflects back onto the field

First of all, having a scoreboard that is both "inside the fence" and "in fair territory" is hard to imagine. What - is it in the middle of centerfield? So, I'm having a little trouble envisioning this. It seems to me that this is such an unorthodox configuration for a ballpark that this would have to be a local ground rules issue. I'm not sure that OBR makes allowances for objects in the middle of the playing field like a windmill, an indian teepee, or a giant clown head.

2) The ball hits a tree (which is outside the fence, but a significant portion is dangling in fair territory) and (a) goes over the fence or (b) falls back into fair territory and is caught by F8. Would the ruling differ if the ball just grazed the tree?

Typically, the way this is handled is like this: It is irrelevant that the trunk of the tree is in fair or foul territory. As soon as the ball strikes any part of the tree, the umpire immediately determines whether the ball is over fair or foul territory. The ball is fair or foul on that basis - regardless of where it hits the ground. If fair, it is common for the ball to be considered LIVE, but I've heard of some ground rules (particularly for trees located very near the fence) where the ball is immediately DEAD and double is awarded.

So, if it hits the tree over foul territory, and lands in fair territory - it's a foul ball.

If it hits the tree over fair territory, and lands in foul territory - it's a fair ball.

Basically treat it the same as a fielder touching ball - with two exceptions:

1) If the ball hits the tree over fair territory and ends up going over the fence - it's a double, not a homerun. (But if the tree is very near the fence, I've heard of ground rules making allowances for this being ruled as a homerun if the umpire determines that, despite hitting the tree, it would've been a homerun anyway.)

2) If the ball hits the tree (whether over fair or foul territory) and is caught by a fielder before hitting the ground, it is not a catch. Although, again, I've heard of interpretations that state that the umpire can rule it a catch if, despite hitting the tree, the trajectory of the ball was virtually unaffected (i.e. just hit a few leaves). But if the ball hits a branch and rattles around like in a pinball machine, allowing the fielder to ultimately catch it ... no.

Again, these are typical ground rules that I have experienced (and read about) regarding those fields that have a tree hanging over it.

3) The ball hits the foul pole (which is entirely INSIDE the fence- not even with it) and (a) goes over the fence in fair territory (b) goes over in foul (c) deflects off and comes back into the field

The foul pole is inside the fence???

What the hell kind of ballfield is this? I don't think I've ever seen a foul pole inside the fence. At most, I've seen foul poles that are integrated as part of the fence.

I think local ground rules are going to have to be established for such non-standard fields as you're describing. Most sets of rules typically do not make allowances for fields that are configured outside the parameters of how the rules require , or assume, it is to be configured.

I guess the designers of Minute Maid Park (Houston, TX) noticed a loophole in the rules; no requirement for the field to actually be level. So what do they do? They put a friggin' hill in centerfield. In my opinion, this is one of the most idiotic configuration quirks in all of baseball. Why not make it really interesting for the outfielders and put multiple moguls out there as if it is some kind of black diamond ski slope? Why not a few bear traps to really make it interesting?

This probably didn't help you much but it was fun thinking about it.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN