Foul ball: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that is not a foul tip, and that...

• settles on foul ground between home and first base, or home and third base, or
• bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or
• first falls on foul territory beyond first or third base, or
• first touches the person of an umpire, player, or any object foreign to the natural ground while on or over foul ground, or
• passes out of the playing field in flight while over foul ground.

When any foul or fair batted ball is caught in-flight, the batter is out. When a batter bunts foul with two strikes, he is out. Otherwise, when a batted ball becomes a foul ball, the ball is dead, all runners must return to their time-of-pitch base, and the batter continues to bat.

It is common for a ball moving in or over fair territory to become a foul ball. Batted balls can also be fair balls or foul tips.