ASA Poor groundskeeping -> HR?

[Gamble]

Really strange occurrence in practice today, and though I'm sure it's a one-in-a-trillion event I have to ask anyway.

The outfield fences here are lined with conifers, that aren't always trimmed properly. The fences are topped with a corrugated plastic covering for safety, that happens to make for some really interesting bounces when it's struck on the fly.

Case: Ball is hit into the top of the fence, bounces nearly straight up and hits an overhanging bough, then falls back into play. So what would be the ruling in a game?

It was such a freak thing that I'm not sure I'd ever see it again if I were to take 500 BP pitches every day for the next ten years, but on the off chance I'd love to know what it is and why.

 

[TEDDY3]

ball didnt go out, no homerun imo.

 

[Gamble]

ball didnt go out, no homerun imo.

Except on its bounce straight up it made contact with an object beyond the fence...

That's what I want to know about. The actual ruling on that.


*EDIT*

Here's a (really bad, 3-year-old-esque) illustration.

 

[BretMan]

Something like a tree branch hanging over the field into live ball territory should be covered by ground rules set forth before the game.

First, consider this play while disregarding the tree. If a fair fly batted ball strikes the top of the fence, then while still in-flight procedes over the fence in fair territory, subsequenty touching something in dead ball territory, it is a home run.

If the same fair fly batted ball instead bounces back into play it's a live ball- though no longer considered to be in-flight (that is, it can't be caught for an out).

Now throw the tree into the equation.

If this batted ball touched the tree outside the boundry of the fence, then it is dead and a home run.

If it touched the tree over the playing field, then the ground rule would come into play. This could be treated as a live ball, play on and get what you get, or as a batted ball that bounced over the fence, a dead ball and a two-base award. It depends on what the coaches agreed upon before the game, or what the umpire decides I'd they can't agree.

 

[xxomegawpnxx]

Except on its bounce straight up it made contact with an object beyond the fence...

That's what I want to know about. The actual ruling on that.


*EDIT*

Here's a (really bad, 3-year-old-esque) illustration.

that is the most adorable drawing ive ever seen.....**looks in dissapointment at 17 month old....**

 

[rebel70]

played on a field like that.The rule was a ground rule double at that park.It should be addressed before the game what the rule is.

 

[MaverickAH]

Except on its bounce straight up it made contact with an object beyond the fence...

That's what I want to know about. The actual ruling on that.


*EDIT*

Here's a (really bad, 3-year-old-esque) illustration.

In your OP you said that there was an overhanging bough. You also said that the ball bounced straight up. Here again you say that the ball bounced straight up & your diagram bears out everything you've said.

Unless there were clear standing ground rules covering such an incident at the particular field in question, as an umpire I would rule this as a live ball & all you can get. It would be no different than if the ball merely bounced off of the fence.