On fly balls to the outfield, a foul ball is any ball batted that falls in foul zone. It is a fair ball if it lands between the two lines. A foul ball caught in foul zone remains foul. A runner can, however, still tag up on a fly ball caught by a fielder in foul zone.
On grounders to the infield, a foul ball is any ball hit toward one of the baselines that does not touch first base before reaching the field of play. It is a fair ball if it rolls past first base before coming to rest. A foul ball cannot be tagged out; instead, the batter is awarded a new opportunity.
Examples: A line drive down the left-field line is a fair ball. No one was in the left-field stands, so it would have gone into center field if no one had been there. When the only person in the left-field stands catches it, he has to go back and stand in that spot until another player comes into view. During this time, the batter has an opportunity to bat again. The next pitch is also a free pass.
A slow roller through the pitcher's box toward first base is a foul ball. No one was in the pitcher's box when the ball was hit, so it would have gone into right field if no one had been there. When the only person in right field catches it, he has to return to first base.
When a player touches the hit ball in fair territory, the ball instantly turns fair. The ball stays in flight until it makes contact with the ground—touching a player has no effect on this. As a result, this regulation applies. It is a foul ball if a fly ball is first touched by a player in foul territory and then travels over the fence.
In addition to these rules, each league may have its own additional restrictions. For example, some leagues do not allow players to touch a ball while another player is running towards it.
Little League has several safety measures in place to protect young players from injury. When you are at a game, please watch out for everyone's children. If someone is not playing by the rules, take action by telling an official or walking away.
Little League offers the best equipment available today. All balls come covered with leather or synthetic material for protection against damage from weather conditions. Batteries are required for all remote-control devices such as bats, balls, and helmets. Batteries can be replaced easily and don't break down like solar-powered batteries do.
Little League requires that each player wear protective headgear when batting. There is no requirement that a batter wear a helmet, but many players do so anyway. Protective face masks are recommended for players who are exposed to hard objects during play (such as when batting against a pitcher wearing hard shoes).
Fly ball in the outfield A ball that hits or ends up on the plate is no different from any other batted ball. The relationship of the ball to the foul line at the instant it first reaches the ground, or where it first contacts a fielder, determines whether an outfield fly ball is fair or foul.
If the ball was hit straight up in the air, it would be considered a home run. However, most fly balls are hit with some amount of angle, which allows them to reach greater heights and distances than straight shots. As such, they are considered fair balls because they are not hit perfectly straight up in the air. Instead, they have some amount of downward angle which allows them to be caught by fielders running towards the stands.
Fair balls are catches that end up on the playing surface. Foul balls are hits off the bat that go into the stands or off the fence. It's as simple as that. If you catch a ball that's been hit into your glove, you can say it was a fair ball. Otherwise, it's a foul ball. There are several factors involved in determining whether a fly ball is fair or foul including the stadium lighting, the weather, the time of day, and the position of the outfielder.
For example, if there is light coming from the stands behind the batter during daylight hours, then the ball is likely to be judged as foul.
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