Fair or Foul? The Rules of Batted Balls, the Foul Poles and the Baselines
How umpires decide whether a batted ball is fair or foul, why the chalk line and the foul pole count as fair, what a foul does to the count and the runners, and a table of tricky cases from bunts to bounding balls.
Every batted ball in baseball is judged fair or foul, and the answer decides almost everything that follows. A fair ball is in play: the batter runs, the fielders field, runners advance. A foul ball is a dead ball that adds a strike, unless the batter already has two, and sends every runner back where he started. The rule that separates the two is shorter than most fans expect, and most disputed calls come from the same few misunderstandings.
The core idea fits in one sentence. The foul lines run from home plate along the outer edges of first and third base and on out to the outfield wall, and everything inside those lines, including the lines themselves, is fair territory. Everything outside them is foul territory. A ball is judged by its position relative to the line, not by where a fielder happens to be standing and not by where the ball ends up after someone touches it.
This article works through that idea case by case: ground balls, fly balls, balls that hit the bases, the foul pole, bunts, balls that hit the batter or an umpire, and the consequences of a foul for the count and the runners. A quick-reference table near the end collects the tricky cases in one place. The rules described are the official playing rules as they have stood for many years; anyone who needs exact wording for a particular league or level should check that league's own rulebook, since youth and high school rules sometimes differ in small ways.
Where fair territory ends
Fair territory is the part of the field inside and including the first-base and third-base lines, from home plate out to the bottom of the outfield fence and straight up. The two words that trip people are "including" and "up." The line belongs to the fair side, so a ball that lands on the chalk is fair. And the line extends vertically: an imaginary wall rises from each foul line, which matters for fly balls in the outfield and for the foul poles.
Foul territory is everything else, and in a major-league park it is a band along each baseline, behind home plate and around the dugouts. Parks differ a good deal in how much of it they have, which affects how many foul pops a fielder can reach. The rulebook does set a floor on the outfield dimensions: for parks built since 1958, the fence must be at least 325 feet from home plate down each foul line, so that no stadium puts a wall unreasonably close.
The lines are marked with chalk or paint. When a ball hits the line, umpires watch for the puff of chalk, and television replays often show it. On a painted line the call can be harder, but the rule is identical: line means fair.
Ground balls: the base is the test
For a ball rolling or bouncing on the ground, the umpire's key question is where the ball is when it reaches first or third base, or where it comes to rest if it stops short of them. The rule defines a fair ball as one that settles on fair territory between home and first or between home and third, or one that bounds past first or third base on or over fair territory. A foul ball is one that settles in foul territory in the same stretch, or bounds past the bags on or over foul territory.
Three consequences follow, and each is a classic point of confusion.
First, where the ball first touches the ground in front of the base does not decide anything. A ground ball can start in fair territory, curl foul before it passes first base and be foul. Or it can start foul, curve back and roll past third base in fair territory and be fair. What counts is its position as it passes the bag or comes to rest.
Second, a ball that touches first, second or third base is fair, wherever it goes afterward. A grounder that strikes the front of first base and squirts into foul territory is a fair ball, and the batter has hit it in play.
Third, a ball that is rolling toward the line is not yet fair or foul. Its status is settled when it passes the base, comes to rest or is touched. A fielder who touches a rolling ball in foul territory makes it a foul ball, even if it might have curled back inside the line, and one who touches it in fair territory makes it a fair ball. That is why you see an infielder crouch beside a slow roller near the line and wait. If the ball stops foul on its own, it is dead and the batter hits again. If it stays fair, the fielder has lost time and perhaps a play.
Fly balls: the line goes up
Once a ball has been hit into the air, the rule looks at where it comes down. A fly ball that first lands beyond first or third base is fair if it lands on or inside the line and foul if it lands outside it. A fly ball that comes down in front of the bags is treated like a ground ball and judged by where it settles or passes the base. A fly ball that is touched by a fielder or an umpire is judged by where it was, relative to the line, at the moment of contact.
The decisive point for fly balls is that the fielder's feet do not matter. The official rule says a fly ball is judged according to the relative position of the ball and the foul line, including the foul pole, and not by whether the fielder stands in fair or foul territory when he touches it. A right fielder standing in foul territory can catch a ball that is over fair territory, and the umpire treats it as a fair ball caught. A first baseman who steps into fair territory to catch a ball that is over foul territory has caught a foul ball. If the ball is caught, the batter is out either way. The label matters when it is dropped, since a dropped foul fly just adds a strike and sends the runners back, while a dropped fair fly is live.
A ball that curves is judged where it comes down. A ball hit high over foul ground that swings back and lands in fair territory is fair. A ball that starts fair and swings outside the foul pole as it passes the fence is foul. At the outfield wall, the imaginary vertical wall above the line is what the umpire is looking at.
The foul pole is fair
At the end of each foul line, where it meets the outfield wall, stands a foul pole. The key rule: the foul pole is in fair territory. A ball in flight that hits the pole is a home run. A ball that passes outside the pole, even if it curves back toward the field, is foul.
The most famous swing in this category came in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series at Fenway Park, when Carlton Fisk hit a ball down the left-field line in the twelfth inning, waved his arms to coax it fair and watched it strike the foul pole. Because the pole is fair, it was a home run. Fenway's right-field pole has its own nickname, the Pesky Pole, and the right-field line there is one of the shortest in the majors. The Fenway Park page lists the dimensions.
A related rule concerns ground-rule doubles. A fair ball that bounces over the outfield fence or into the stands is not a home run; the batter and any runners are awarded two bases. A home run requires the ball to clear the fence in the air in fair territory. The pole is where fair and foul meet over the fence, which is why the outfield umpires keep their eyes on it.
Bunts and the foul-bunt exception
A bunt is judged by the same rules, with one difference in the count. A foul ball counts as a strike if the batter has fewer than two strikes. With two strikes a foul ball does nothing to the count, and the batter stays alive. The exception is the bunt: if a batter with two strikes bunts the ball foul, he is out on strikes. The usual explanation is that without the rule a hitter could bunt foul again and again and wait for a good pitch.
Bunts also test the fair-or-foul rule in a small space. A bunt that rolls a few feet in front of the plate can start fair and spin foul, or the reverse, and umpires judge it by where it settles or passes first or third. A bunt that rolls slowly in fair territory and stops on the chalk is fair. A ball that stays on the line and does not move is as fair as one in the middle of the field.
When the ball touches the batter, the bat or an umpire
A batted ball can touch many things on its way, and each case has a rule.
- The batter, in the box. If the ball hits the batter while he is standing in the batter's box, it is a foul ball and a dead ball. This is why a hitter struck on the foot by his own foul ball is not out.
- The batter, outside the box. If the batter has stepped out of the box, different rules apply, and he can be called out, depending on where the ball is when it strikes him.
- The bat, twice. If the bat hits the ball a second time in fair territory, the batter is out and the ball is dead. In foul territory it is just a foul. If the batter has dropped his bat and the ball rolls into it, the umpire judges intent; without intent to interfere, the ball stays alive.
- An umpire. A ball that touches an umpire is still judged by where it was relative to the line. In fair territory, the rulebook then sorts out the dead-ball consequences according to whether the ball had passed an infielder. If it had, play generally continues.
- A runner. A fair ball that strikes a runner before it passes an infielder makes the runner out and the ball dead. That is a separate rule from fair and foul, but it matters on a ball hit up the middle.
- A spectator. A fan who reaches onto the field of play to touch a ball can be called for spectator interference, and the umpire decides what would have happened. A fielder who reaches into the stands to make a catch is not interfered with, which is why you see fielders leaning over railings.
What a foul ball does to the count and the runners
The effects of a foul ball are fixed and short. A foul ball is a dead ball. Runners return to the base they occupied at the time of the pitch, and they do not advance. Unless the batter already has two strikes, the foul counts as a strike. With two strikes it does nothing to the count: the batter stays at two strikes and the next pitch is thrown.
If a foul fly is caught, the batter is out and the ball stays live. Runners may tag up and advance, just as on a fair fly. That is why a deep foul fly caught by an outfielder can score a runner from third.
A foul tip is different from a foul ball, and the difference shows up in the count. A foul tip is a pitched ball that goes sharply from the bat directly to the catcher's hands and is held. It is a strike, the ball stays in play, and if it is the third strike the batter is out. If the ball touches the catcher's mitt and then falls to the ground, it was never a legal foul tip; it is simply a foul ball, with the usual count rule. This is why a batter sometimes strikes out on what looked like a foul.
Quick reference: tricky cases
| Situation | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Ball lands on the chalk of the foul line | Fair |
| Ball hits the foul pole in flight | Fair, a home run |
| Ball passes outside the pole, then curves back | Foul |
| Grounder strikes the front of first base, then rolls foul | Fair |
| Grounder rolls fair, then curves foul before reaching first base | Foul |
| Grounder starts foul, then rolls fair past third base | Fair |
| Fielder in foul territory catches a ball over fair territory | Fair ball, caught; batter out |
| Fielder touches a rolling ball in foul territory | Foul |
| Fair ball bounces over the outfield fence | Ground-rule double, two bases |
| Two-strike bunt goes foul | Strikeout |
| Ball hits the batter in the box | Foul, dead ball |
| Bat hits the ball a second time in fair territory | Batter out |
| Foul fly is caught | Batter out; runners may tag up |
| Foul tip held by the catcher | Strike, ball in play |
Who makes the call, and whether it can be argued
Fair and foul are judgment calls by the umpire closest to the play, and judgment calls are not protestable. A manager can ask the crew to consult on whether a rule was applied correctly, but cannot demand a different judgment. The plate umpire watches balls near home plate. In a four-man crew the first-base and third-base umpires rule on balls hit down the lines past the bags, and in postseason six-man crews two more umpires stand along the outfield lines.
Instant replay now covers part of this ground. Home run calls, including whether a ball was fair or foul over the fence and whether it hit the pole, can be reviewed, as can fair or foul on balls hit to the outfield. Fair-or-foul calls on ground balls near the bases and infield fly decisions are generally outside the replay system. Replay procedures change from year to year, so for the current list of reviewable calls consult the league's published rules.
A manager who argues a judgment call too long can be ejected, and the sport's customs about arguing are the subject of the article on ejections and arguments. More on the umpires' territory is collected on the rules and umpiring topic page.
How fair and foul interact with other rules
Several other rules depend on knowing whether a ball is fair. The infield fly rule applies to fair fly balls that an infielder can catch with ordinary effort; if a declared infield fly falls untouched in foul territory, it is a foul ball. And the three-foot lane and runner interference concerns the lane on the foul side of the first-base line over which the batter-runner must run, a separate matter from the foul line but often confused with it.
Scorekeepers need the distinction too. A foul ball adds to the pitch count and the strike count, but it is not a play in the box score. The site's scoresheet tool is a good way to practice keeping a game and see how counts are recorded.
Common questions
Is the foul line fair or foul? Fair. The first-base and third-base lines are part of fair territory. A ball that lands on the line is fair.
If the ball hits the foul pole, is it a home run? Yes, provided it was a fair ball in flight. The pole is in fair territory.
Can a ball be foul if the outfielder catches it in fair territory? The status of a fly ball depends on where the ball is relative to the line, not where the fielder stands. If the ball is over foul territory when he catches it, it is a foul fly and the batter is out.
Does a foul ball ever count as strike three? Only on a bunt. A foul bunt with two strikes is a strikeout. A foul tip held by the catcher with two strikes is also a strikeout, though strictly it is not a foul ball. Any other foul ball with two strikes leaves the count unchanged.
Why does a ball sometimes roll up the line and stop? If it stops fair, it is a fair ball, and the fielder must play it. If it stops on foul ground, it is foul. Players and umpires watch it until it is settled, and the batter must run until the umpire makes the call.
What if a ball hits the line in the outfield? The line in the outfield is fair, as in the infield, and the imaginary wall above it gives the same ruling for a ball in the air.
Where to go next
For a related judgment call that can turn on whether a ball is fair, read the infield fly rule explained, then see batting out of turn and other rare rules for situations most fans have never seen. The balk rule covers the pitcher's side of the same rulebook, and the rules and umpiring topic page gathers current stories.