Awarding Bases
 

Field has a temporary fence in the outfield.

Hit ball goes "through" the fence or under the fence.

Outfielder raises hands to show the ball is no longer accessible.

Is this an automatic ground rule double?

I ask because someone told me they saw a game where the umpire awarded the batter 3rd base based on his belief that had it not gone through or under the fence that the batter would have ended up at 3rd.

Yes, 2 base award. A fair batted ball that leaves the field of play after touching the ground is a 2 base award.

Either the "other umpire" blew it, or they were working you.

Technically speaking it is a BOOK rule double. Ground rule doubles are things that are unique to your grounds like the ball getting caught in the ivy at Wrigley Field. Same award though. There is no such thing as a ground rule triple, no matter how far away the soccer goal in right field is.

If the ball goes through or under the fence it's a two base award.

The outfielder raising his hands doesn't create the award or cause the ball to beciome dead. Only the umpire's judgement that it went through or under the fence counts.

If the umpire believes the ball stayed in the field of play then it's in play. Because of this, the runners should always keep going until the umpire calls time for the ball being out of play.

If it was out of play, they'll get sent to the proper base. If it's still in play they get what they get.

I don't know where the umpire was coming from on the award of third. Perhaps the runner went there and stopped on his own. If the ball was judged in play then that's where he gets to be.

Wouldn't the "vine rule" or "a vine rule" fall under a lodged batted ball in fair territory?

At Wrigley it is a GRD.

Wrigley Field Ground Rules
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ball...ound_rules.jsp

gotcha, thanks