Is it a home run if it goes off the outfielder’s glove?
If the ball was still in flight when it hit him and it went over in fair territory, it's a home run. If it went over in foul territory, or it hit the ground or the wall first, it's two bases.
What happens when a deep fly ball hits the top of the center fielder’s glove at the fence and pops over? Half the park says home run, and the other half says ground rule double.
It’s a home run. Once you understand what “in flight” means, you’ll know the answer every time it comes up.
A ball off the bat is in flight until it touches the ground, the wall or anything that isn’t a fielder. A fielder touching it doesn’t end the flight. So a fly ball that hits the outfielder’s glove and goes over the fence in fair territory is still a fly ball that left the field in fair territory. It doesn’t matter that he touched it, or that it was going to be caught.
The first thing that matters is whether the ball touched anything other than the fielder before it went out.
Over in foul territory. Take the same fly ball off the glove — but this time it goes over the fence on the foul side of the pole, or into the dead-ball area down the line. It’s two bases. It was still in flight, but it didn’t go over the fence in fair territory, so it doesn’t earn four.
It hit the ground or the wall first. Now it’s not in flight anymore. A ball that bounces on the warning track, kicks off the fielder and goes over is a bounding ball that left the field. It’s two bases, no matter where it goes over. The same is true for a ball that hits the wall, comes back, hits the fielder and goes out. Once it touched something that wasn’t him, it’s a double at most.
Where do the runners go? On the home run, all of them score. On the two-base award, each runner gets two bases from where he was at the time of the pitch. Here’s that card.
And if the fielder catches it clean and then falls over the fence, that’s a catch, not a home run. That one’s here.
Outfielders, if you’re going to touch it at the fence, really try to catch it. A deflection may be the only play out there where trying and failing is worse than not trying. A ball off the wall is a double, but if you tip it over the fence, you’ve just given up a home run!
Which rulebook? Official Baseball Rules 5.05(a)(9): a fair fly ball deflected by a fielder over the fence in fair territory is a home run. Deflected over the fence in foul territory, or into the stands in foul territory, it's two bases. A ball that has touched the ground or the wall before the fielder touches it is a bounding ball, and 5.05(a)(6) makes that two bases wherever it goes over. NFHS 8-3-3 matches.
Fly ball to the fence in center. While it’s still in the air, it hits the top of the outfielder’s glove and pops over the fence in fair territory. What is it?
Still have a question? Ask Coach Fungo.
“If it never touched the ground or the wall, it's still a fly ball when it goes over.”
Running out of the baseline: when is the runner out?
There's no baseline until a fielder tries to tag the runner. Then it's a straight line from wherever the runner is to the base, with three feet on either side, and the chalk has nothing to do with it.
“A runner can go get a hot dog on his way to second, as long as no one's trying to tag him.”
Can a player re-enter the game in youth baseball?
In high school, Little League, USSSA and Perfect Game, a starter can re-enter once in his original batting spot, but a sub who comes out is done (Little League has its own wrinkles). A pitcher who re-enters can play anywhere but the mound, except in high school.
“Before you pull a sub, remember that he isn't coming back.”
The rules quiz
Ten questions, two minutes. Would you have gotten the call right?
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