Running lane vs base path

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by DeputyUICHousto

how about having a dog run onto the field during a live ball and picking up the ball in its mouth and running away? What rule is this "play" covered under. LOL.

There's a reason I used the phrase "routine plays" in my post.

By the way...routine or not...I have actually seen this happen before! Just once in 40 years of being around baseball and softball, but it did happen. There was a twist, though. A batted ball was rolling along the first base foul line and hadn't reached the bag yet, when a bulldog broke his leash, ran from the stands and grabbed the ball. It was still a live ball, but he grabbed it over foul ground so it became foul and dead the instant he touched it. So, as strange as this was...there was a rule to cover it- the usual foul ball rules.

It actually took three or four minutes of chasing the dog around the field to get the ball. The dog was having a great time! Then, once things finally got settled down, the pitcher retrieved the ball and got ready for the next pitch. He gets ready to pitch, then suddenly asks for time. The umpire already seemed to be kind of ticked off about the game delay, so he grumbled, "What is it now?".

The pitcher gingerly held the ball up with two fingers and said, "Can I get a new ball? This one is covered in dog slobber".