January 2006

ASA Foul Ball / Foul Tip for 2006

Starting this season, 2006, the reference of the “height of the batter’s head” has been removed from the rulebook from the Foul Ball and Foul Tip definitions. This allows more opportunity for the catcher to obtain “outs” by catching foul batted balls the same as the first and third base person who is playing in. Umpires now only need to judge whether the ball moves from the bat “sharply” and “directly” versus a ball that has a “perceptible” arc and/or the catcher moves the glove to catch the ball after contact with the bat.

NOTE: Coaches, players and UMPIRES must now be even more alert to the fact that runners need to tag up on a batted foul ball that is caught. This increases the opportunity for more “outs” not only with the catcher catching the ball but the opportunity for more appeal plays with a runner leaving a base too soon on a caught fly ball. Remember the runner must wait until “first touch” before breaking contact with a base on a caught fly ball, fair or foul. Runners may leave on the pitch in Fast Pitch and when the pitch reaches the plate in Slow Pitch with stealing, if the ball is judged to be a foul tip.

FOUL BALL – A foul ball is a batted ball that:

1. Settles or is touched on or over foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base.
2. Bounds or rolls past first or third base on or over foul territory.
3. While over foul territory, touches the person, attached or detached equipment or clothing of a player or an umpire, or any object foreign to the natural ground.
4. While over foul territory, a runner interferes with a defensive player attempting to field a batted ball.
5. First hits the ground or is first touched over foul territory beyond first or third base.
6. Touches the batter or the bat in the batter’s hand(s) a second time while the batter is within the batter’s box.
7. Goes sharply and directly from the bat to any part of the catcher’s body or equipment and is caught by another fielder.
8. Hits the pitching plate and rolls untouched to foul territory before reaching first or third base.

FOUL TIP - is a batted ball that goes sharply and directly from the bat to the catcher's glove/mitt or hand and is legally caught by the catcher. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball remains live in Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch with stealing. It is not a catch if it rebounds off the catcher, unless the ball has first touched the catcher's glove or hand. A foul tip can only be caught by the catcher.

SITUATION 1. A ball goes sharply and directly from the bat backwards and first touches the catcher’s glove/mitt and then rebounds off the chest protector and is caught by the catcher before touching the ground. RULING: Foul Tip and a strike on the batter. The ball remains live in Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch with stealing.

SITUATION 2. A ball goes sharply and directly from the bat back to the catcher’s chest protector and rebounds down into the catcher’s glove. RULING: Foul Ball. (Dead Ball)

SITUATION 3. A foul ball with “perceptible” arc goes toward the catcher’s left and the catcher moves the glove to catch the ball. RULING: Batter is out and the ball remains live just as it would if any other fielder had caught a foul fly ball.

SITUATION 4. A foul ball rebounds from the bat with “perceptible” arc shoulder high and the catcher moves upward with the glove to make the catch. RULING: Batter is out and the ball remains live just as it would if any other fielder had caught a foul fly ball.

SITUATION 5. A foul ball goes sharply and directly from the bat to the catcher’s shin guard and rebounds to the third base person who catches the ball. RULING: Foul Ball. (Dead Ball)

SITUATION 6. A foul ball deflects off the catcher’s equipment and settles on foul ground. RULING: Foul Ball. (Dead Ball)

SITUATION 7. The pitcher throws a rise ball and the catcher is moving up as the pitch is on the way to the plate. The batter squares to bunt a ball above their head and the ball goes in a straight line from the bat to the glove and the catcher catches the ball. RULING: Foul Tip. It does not matter that the ball is above the batter’s head. The only thing that matters when determining whether it is a “foul tip” is the fact that the ball goes directly from the bat to the catcher’s glove/mitt or hand and then is caught by the catcher.

SITUATION 8. A left handed “slapper” runs forward in the box and fouls the ball back just over the catcher’s head. The catcher dives backward and the ball first hits the catcher’s helmet and rebounds into the air. The ball comes down and hits the catcher’s helmet. In (a) the catcher and (b) the first base person, makes the catch before the ball hits the ground. RULING: In (a) and (b) the batter is out and the ball remains live. In this situation it would be no different allowing the catcher to catch a foul batted ball before it hit the ground and allowing any other fielder to “bobble” a ball several times before gaining control for a catch.

SITUATION 9. With R1 on 1B and one out, the catcher sets up inside for the pitch, but the pitcher throws the ball outside. On the pitch, R1 is stealing 2B as B3 runs up in the box and slaps the ball towards foul territory. The catcher lunges toward the outside of the plate into foul territory to make a diving catch before the ball hits the ground. The catcher immediately gets up and throws to 1B appealing that R1 left too soon. RULING: Since the catcher had to move their glove to go get the ball, B3 is out on the catch. The ball remains live, B3 is the second out and R1 is the third out on the appeal play.

ASA Double Base Clarification

Prior to the batter-runner reaching 1B there are two 15” x 15” bases, a white 15” x 15” base and a colored 15” x 15” base. On any play being made on the batter-runner by an infielder or an outfielder, the defense must use the white portion and the offense the colored portion of the base. The same two exceptions apply as before, a) if it is a force play from foul ground or b) an errant throw takes the fielder into foul ground. In either case the defensive player and offensive player may go to the white portion or the colored portion of the base.

After the batter-runner has reached 1B, the double base becomes essentially one 15” x 30” base. Now the offensive player and the defensive player can use either color of the base. Examples, to name a few, would be the runner returning to 1B, tagging up on a fly ball, a pickoff attempt, a timing play at 1B, and an appeal at 1B. The bottom line is, once a runner reaches 1B any color of the base can be used by either the defense or the offense, or it becomes one base.

In Rule 8, Section 2 M 4 some wording was inadvertently omitted. In previous rulebooks Sections M 4 and M 5 were combined so that the idea of what base could be used was covered. When those sections were separated in hope of making each instance easier to find, the wording describing which color can be used was left out. Rule 8, Section 2 M 4 should state, “On any force out from the foul side of first base the defense and the batter-runner can use either color.”

Rule 10, Section 5. Change of Umpires

There was a change to this Rule, it reads: a. Teams may not request a change of umpires during a game. b. No umpire may be replaced during a game unless incapacitated by injury or illness. The change was shown in the 2006 Playing Rule Changes and Comments on page 50 but did not get included in the Rule on page 126. The change should have been listed in Rule 10, Section 5 on page 126 since the change was placed in effect in January 2006.

Rule Clarifications and Plays Index