Fair ball?

[Renntiger]

Right-handed batter was late on a pitch and chipped a shoulder-height fading line drive that crossed into foul territory before reaching first base. First-baseman reflexively lunged for it, and with one foot still on the ground inside fair territory, she barely tipped the ball with her outstretched glove, deflecting it into the wilderness. Umpire called it fair, and sent the batter to second.

Correct call? Does the location of the player's feet supersede the location of the ball itself in a situation like this?

Thanks in advance for any help in clarifying this for me.

 

[SoCalDad]

No, foul ball. This is no different than say a bunt that rolls foul and is touched by a player still in fair territory. Prior to first base the position of the ball determines whether it is foul not the player. I have had this same call go against my teams in the past. Usually the umpire will explain it looked fair to them.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yes, I agree. Foul ball.

 

[Renntiger]

That's what I had guessed. Thanks for the confirmation!

 

[ASAPAump]

Where was the first baseman standing? Far in front of first base? You say that the ball tailed foul before reaching 1st base, but not where the ball was when it was touched.

In this instance, the only thing that determines whether a ball is fair or foul is the position of the ball when first touched. If the umpire determined that the ball was in fair territory when touched (and the line counts as fair), then it is a fair ball. If you were to ask him for his reasoning, he better say "The ball was over fair territory when touched." and not "The player's feet were in fair territory."

"Does the location of the player's feet supersede the location of the ball itself in a situation like this?" Absolutely not.

 

[Renntiger]

The first-baseman was 3-4 ft in front of the base, 3-4 ft inside fair territory. I was in the first-base dugout, with a clear view of her position. Everyone around me (including the first-baseman herself) thought that the ball had to be at least 2 ft outside the line - and tailing away - when she tried to grab it, because she lunged towards the line, was fully extended when she tipped the ball, and landed 2 feet outside the line. Indeed, from the way the ball was struck (a slicing chip shot), I was pretty sure it was going to cross into foul territory after its first 20-30 ft of flight, and was surprised to see that our first-baseman was able to touch it at all.

The ump no doubt had a better view of where the ball was relative to the line than I did, but judging by the reaction in the stand afterwards, he may have been the only person from that vantage point to think that the ball was fair. Since we did not ask him for an explanation of his call (we were in the process of run-ruling the other team), we'll never know what he actually saw.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Coach JV]

The plate umpire blew the call. He has a clear view
of the line, it is his responsibility to make the right call

 

[mudbug]

Rule 1. Definitions

Fair Ball- A batted ball shall be judged according to the relative position of the ball and the foul line, including the foul pole, and not as to whether the fielder is on fair or foul territory at the time the fielder touches the ball......

The feet may come into play for determining if the player was in the field of play (for catching foul ball, homerun,etc)