A foul ball is defined as a hit ball that lands in foul zone between home and first base or home and third base. It is a foul ball if a proclaimed infield fly is allowed to fall undisturbed to the ground and bounces foul before crossing first or third base. A fair ball is any ball that does not qualify as a foul ball.
Fair balls include balls that land in the outfield, but are caught by a fielder who has no other responsibility assigned to him/her. They also include any ball that is dropped by a player at any time during the game. This includes any ball that is dropped by a runner trying to advance a base or beat out an attempted steal. Any ball that is legally batted into the air and not caught by a fielder is considered dropped unless it is clear that the batter did not try to catch it.
A batter is awarded with a base on balls when he gets three strikes on him without being thrown out. If the batter hits a ball that is not a strike, it is a foul ball. If the batter hits a ball that is a strike, he will usually wait until after the inning to find out whether it was a good pitch to hit or not. If he decides not to take another swing at that pitch, it is a walk. A walk is different from a base on balls because there are only two bases open instead of three, so a walk can only happen when the batter reaches second base safely.
A foul ball in baseball is a batted ball that contacts the person of an umpire or player, or any item other than the natural ground, while on or above foul territory. If a batter receives two fouls he is removed from the game.
The term "foul out" can also be used to describe a hit that results in an out via a foul fly ball. Such balls are usually caught by defenders of both teams unless they fall within the outfield fence for any reason. A "foul down" is similar to a "foul out", but only one team's fielders can catch the ball. A "fouled-up" pitch is any pitch not suitable for batting practice because of bad weather or some other reason. A "foul tip" is a pitch where the ball and bat make contact but neither is put into play because the catcher catches the ball before it reaches the infield.
In addition to batters being removed from games because they receive two fouls during an inning (or whenever prior to the modern era the manager decided it was time to remove a player), several other players have been removed from games because of injuries caused by foul balls.
According to the Official Regulations, Playing Rules, and Policies of Little League Baseball (r), Rule 2.00-foul ball: A foul ball is a hit ball that falls on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or that bounds past first or third base on or over foul area, or that lands for the first time on foul territory.
A foul ball is any baseball that hits any part of the field other than the playing surface. This includes balls that hit buildings, trees, light standards, or any other object not intended for ball play. A fair ball is any ball that hits the ground in front of the pitcher's box or behind the catcher's back. A wild pitch results when the ball is thrown by a pitcher before he has set his feet and after he has released the ball. If the batter does not take time to avoid the ball, it is declared a wild pitch.
Wild pitches are the most common reason why pitchers give up so many bases-loaded hits. A batter gets a free ride if the ball bounces in front of the pitcher's box or if he doesn't get the ball out of his zone quickly enough. If a batter reaches first base safely on a wild pitch, runners advance by one base each. However, if the batter hits into a double play, runners remain at first and second because there was no error committed by the pitcher.
Balls that hit objects other than the playing surface are called fouls.
A foul ball is a batted ball that strikes the pitcher's rubber and bounces into foul area, between home and first base, or between home and third base. A fair ball is a hit ball that is not a foul ball. A foul ball can be both in and out of play. If it is caught by an infielder, it is declared a hit; if not, it is considered an automatic double.
The rule was designed to prevent pitchers from hitting batters. Until 1887, when the ban on pitch-counting came into effect, managers would replace their pitchers with sub-replacements if they thought them too injured to continue. The rule was intended to eliminate the need for such replacement players by preventing pitchers from getting any sort of advantage by hitting batters.
Until 1968, fielders could only use their hands to catch balls (except for heads). They could not use anything else, such as a glove or mitt. In 1969, a new rule allowed them to use gloves if they wanted to. Before then, most players didn't wear gloves when playing baseball.
In 1887, the National League adopted a rule prohibiting its members from including batting averages in their voting for MVP awards. The American League followed suit in 1890. The reason given by the AL for this action was that many owners were concerned that high batting averages would give hitters an unfair advantage over other players.
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