Foul tip follies

aceholleran · #1 (**permalink**) Sat Jul 20, 2002, 02:25am

Okay--it's an "almost happened." Assume MLB rules. 1 strike on batter. Pitch strikes bat and goes sharply and directly to catcher's mitt, where it is not caught. The sphere then ricochets straight up into the air, about 10 feet. Catcher does not see horsehide and it falls to the ground, handily enabling me to call foul ball.

Eins: NOW, if catcher catches this "tip," is it ruled a foul tip? I say, "Ja."

Zwei: OR is the batter out, due to a caught foul fly? I say, "Nein." BTW, if so, when can runners tag up?

Drei: If ball first strikes catcher's (say) chest protector and behaves the same way, what happens if catcher catches it? I say: "Foul ball, no catch, strike two."

Just grist for the mill.

Ace

Marty Rogers · #2 (**permalink**) Sat Jul 20, 2002, 11:45pm

I agree with eins, zwei, and drei.

brandda · #3 (**permalink**) Sun Jul 21, 2002, 11:07am

This all looks right. How the heck does a foul tip ricochet off a catcher's mitt 10 feet up in the air though?

aceholleran · #4 (**permalink**) Sun Jul 21, 2002, 11:42am

I dunno HOW it happened, but it DID happen. I'm glad the kid didn't ketch it!

Coach&Blue · #5 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 22, 2002, 09:51am

A foul tip is live ONLY when caught cleanly. If a foul tip hits off the mask, body, or glove of the catcher and is not caught cleanly, it is a foul ball, NOT a foul tip. The ball is dead just like a regular foul ball. If there were 2 strikes, that foul ball is not strike 3.

Marty Rogers · #6 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 22, 2002, 11:00am

[B]A foul tip is live ONLY when caught cleanly. If a foul tip hits off the mask, body, or glove of the catcher and is not caught cleanly, it is a foul ball, NOT a foul tip. The ball is dead just like a regular foul ball.

Baseball Myth #41 as stated above.

2.00 Foul Tip...........It is not a catch if it is a rebound, UNLESS the ball has first touched the catcher's glove or hand.

As long as the ball first touches glove or hand, it is still a foul tip if caught, even if it pops up high first. It is either caught, or not caught. "Cleanly" is irrelevant. As Ace stated, if it hits anything else first, it is a foul ball.

Coach&Blue · #7 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 22, 2002, 11:46am

My bad, I didn't know the part about it hitting the Glove and/or hand. Thanks Marty. I had a situation where I fouled a ball off the catchers mask and he dove to catch it. The umpire ruled is a foul tip catch. I protest the game and won the protest.