NSA Foul or dead ball?

[jardine]

Hey,

Just a question on a call that happened in a tournament this weekend. So I know there has been lots of controversy in the past on if the batter hits a ball straight down and it hits home plate and rolls forward whether it's a dead ball or not. From what I understand the home plate is in fair territory so if the ball hits it and rolls forward it's a fair hit. My question is, we play with the mat behind the home plate for a strike zone. We do not play with the thin rubber mat but with a 3/4" plywood strike mat. So if a ball is hit straight down and hits the plywood and rolls forward would it not be considered a dead ball? The plywood is in foul territory and your gaining an advantage by it. Any info you have on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[trip]

where was the ball touched?

 

[lb16]

answer

If ball rolls back into fair territory or on plate and stops or is touched there fair ball. It's the same as if a ball was hit down either line in foul territory in front of base and hits a rock or just turns back into fair territory in front of base and stops or is touched there fair ball!

 

[rhound50]

First off there is no controversy about a batted ball that hits the plate, the rules that define a fair ball are still the same. My guess is that it would be the same for your strike zone mat/piece of wood but since the mat itself is a local rule your local director can make whatever rule they want when it comes to a ball hitting the mat.

 

[DeputyUICHousto]

Smh

You should read the definitions of a fair and foul ball. That might help with your answer.

Also, what many leagues fail to realize is the unintended consequences of modifying rules. In many cases there are other rules associated with a rule which is changed. But, the associated rule isn't addressed thereby causing problems. I'm just sayin'.

 

[jardine]

The ball was hit pretty much straight down and hit the strike mat. Which in our case is a piece of wood that sits behind the home plate, hitting the wood and then rolling forward into fair territory. The call on the field was "Dead Ball!" So just for reference, there is no strike mat and there is an umpire calling balls and strikes and the ball is hit straight down and hits behind home plate, or even in the batters box, and then rolls forward into fair territory your saying its a fair ball?

 

[Sully]

If you hit a ball that bounces in fair territory and isn't touched and rolls into foul territory between home and 3rd base and is first touched there, what's the call?

FAIR BALL: A legally batted ball that: A. Settles or is touched on or over fair territory between home and first base or between home and third base.

 

[rshackleford]

The ball was hit pretty much straight down and hit the strike mat. Which in our case is a piece of wood that sits behind the home plate, hitting the wood and then rolling forward into fair territory. The call on the field was "Dead Ball!" So just for reference, there is no strike mat and there is an umpire calling balls and strikes and the ball is hit straight down and hits behind home plate, or even in the batters box, and then rolls forward into fair territory your saying its a fair ball?

SECTION 22 FOUL BALL
A foul ball is a batted ball that:
d) While on or over foul ground, touches an umpire, player or foreign object to the natural ground.

Sounds like a foul ball to me, I dunno.

 

[BretMan]

The NSA rule book is no help here. They make one mention of a strike mat, noting that it's used only for senior league play. They offer no other instructions, not even spelling out that a pitch hitting it is a strike. There's no mention of a batted ball hitting the mat.

Barring any other official interpretation that says otherwise, I would have to treat the mat as "an object foreign to the natural ground". That would make this a foul ball.

But...if anybody finds something that says otherwise, I'd have to go with that!

With no mat there, and the ball just hitting the ground, this would be a fair ball (assuming it rolls into fair territory and settles or is touched there).

 

[sjury]

I would say ask your league director for confirmation, and then ask him/her to include it in the leagues rules for next year.

Around here they count the mat as nothing, if it hits the mat and rolls fair it's fair, foul it's foul.

 

[ilyk2win]

Hey,

Just a question on a call that happened in a tournament this weekend. So I know there has been lots of controversy in the past on if the batter hits a ball straight down and it hits home plate and rolls forward whether it's a dead ball or not. From what I understand the home plate is in fair territory so if the ball hits it and rolls forward it's a fair hit. My question is, we play with the mat behind the home plate for a strike zone. We do not play with the thin rubber mat but with a 3/4" plywood strike mat. So if a ball is hit straight down and hits the plywood and rolls forward would it not be considered a dead ball? The plywood is in foul territory and your gaining an advantage by it. Any info you have on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'm curious as to what advantage is gained by hitting a ball straight down into a piece of wood???

Also, is there a no-slide rule for home plate in this league? If not, anyone ever end up with splinters?

 

[jardine]

No, why I said "advantage" was the fact that if there was no strike mat there it probably would have gone foul, but hit the corner of the board and shot straight forward into fair territory. It's a non competitive league so there is a scoring line drawn straight across from home and you just run past the line beside home plate. That way there is no contact with the catcher. I realize that the strike mat/board is a league rule and we could just make our own ruling but debating it with a few others I wanted to see what everyone thought. Then was wondering if there is no strike mat and a ball was hammered downward into the batters box or area behind the plate where the catcher stands, if the spin takes it into fair territory if it's fair. It's not a very common situation but figured I'd see what everyone thought.

 

[baldgriff]

The mat in my estimation should be treated as if it was dirt. So if the ball hits the dirt and rolls forward into fair territory it is a fair ball.

 

[jardine]

The umpire yelled "dead ball!" Right away and seemed pretty confident so nobody argued. The play had no bearing on the outcome of the game. Just stirred up a discussion after the game.

 

[sjury]

No, why I said "advantage" was the fact that if there was no strike mat there it probably would have gone foul, but hit the corner of the board and shot straight forward into fair territory. It's a non competitive league so there is a scoring line drawn straight across from home and you just run past the line beside home plate. That way there is no contact with the catcher. I realize that the strike mat/board is a league rule and we could just make our own ruling but debating it with a few others I wanted to see what everyone thought. Then was wondering if there is no strike mat and a ball was hammered downward into the batters box or area behind the plate where the catcher stands, if the spin takes it into fair territory if it's fair. It's not a very common situation but figured I'd see what everyone thought.

The answer to this question is, yes, it is a fair ball.

 

[rhound50]

The NSA rule book is no help here. They make one mention of a strike mat, noting that it's used only for senior league play. They offer no other instructions, not even spelling out that a pitch hitting it is a strike. There's no mention of a batted ball hitting the mat.

Barring any other official interpretation that says otherwise, I would have to treat the mat as "an object foreign to the natural ground". That would make this a foul ball.

But...if anybody finds something that says otherwise, I'd have to go with that!

With no mat there, and the ball just hitting the ground, this would be a fair ball (assuming it rolls into fair territory and settles or is touched there).

This is an interesting interpretation, I guess I saw the strike zone mat as an extension of home plate but this makes sense too.

 

[BretMan]

This is an interesting interpretation, I guess I saw the strike zone mat as an extension of home plate but this makes sense too.

Well, the double first base is an extension of the regular first base and part of it is in fair ground, part of it in foul ground. If a batted ball hits the part in foul ground it's a foul ball.

 

[ureout]

The NSA rule book is no help here. They make one mention of a strike mat, noting that it's used only for senior league play. They offer no other instructions, not even spelling out that a pitch hitting it is a strike. There's no mention of a batted ball hitting the mat.

Barring any other official interpretation that says otherwise, I would have to treat the mat as "an object foreign to the natural ground". That would make this a foul ball.

But...if anybody finds something that says otherwise, I'd have to go with that!

With no mat there, and the ball just hitting the ground, this would be a fair ball (assuming it rolls into fair territory and settles or is touched there).

We use a 1 piece mat/plate in SSUSA senior ball and it is wider.....it measures 19" X 34.5" and if the batter is deep in the box and should happen to hit a ball straight down and it ends up on rear of mat or behind the normal plate then it is a foul ball....the regular home plate lines up with the foul lines...not the back of the mat....