Foul fly rule - outfield foul ball popfly rule?

Question
QUESTION: If fly ball is hit to the outfield but in foul territory then caught in foul territory
with say a man on base, can that man on base advance after the catch.  Is the
ball in play or out of play?

ANSWER: Hi Seymour,

a flyball hit into foul territory and caught is still in play. Baserunners must tag up and then can advance at their own risk.  The only times the ball is no longer in play is when it is hit in foul territory and crosses over a fence, rolls under a fence or lands in the stadium area.

Regards,

JohnMc

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Now we have a man say on third, the same fly to the outfield into foul territoy
but instead of catching the foul fly, the fielder elects to let it drop thus
keeping the potential winning run from scoring.  Is this a call the umpire
must make.  Some thing does not seem fair here!
ANSWER: Hi Seymour,

I understand now where you are going with this...that kind of play is only prevented in the infield with the infield popfly rule.  For the outfield, no such rule exists.

For those balls hit to the outfield, if a fielder elects NOT to catch a foul ball for defensive purposes, that's just part of the game.  It's the only way to prevent a sacrifice fly ball, which also could be deemed unfair (sort of the other side of the coin - if see where I'm going...).  What is even worse, is when a fielder misjudges and the ball bounces fair!  arghhhh.

I would think it works out evenly:  foul ball not caught else baserunner can tag up and score vs sacrifice fly hit fair resulting in runner(s) with score.  Its a gamble both sides are allowed to make.  

I can remember many times standing on the foul line as a fielder and letting foul balls go because my throw to home was weak.  Its a defensive move that is allowed and eventually, your team will do this too.

Regards,

JohnMc

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am assuming your answer relates to Major  League Baseball Rules and not
High School or College Rules.  Again thanks for your input.

Answer
Hi Seymour,

many times I've seen foul balls hit out and foul.  If the ball is unreachable, the umpire simply pulls out a new ball and play continues.  Meanwhile, no runner is allowed to steal.  Foul balls stop the play, unless the fielder elects to catch the ball - then a runner can elect to tag up and steal - as the ball is now live.  Unless I'm wrong, this rule applies to major as well as minor UNLESS your league has specific rules that state foul balls are live.

In our league:
"When any foul or fair batted ball is caught in flight, the batter is automatically out. If there are fewer than two outs, any runners on base when a foul ball is caught in flight have the option, at their own risk, to tag up and advance to the next base" and  "The play is dead if and when a foul ball is not caught".

This applies to highschool and college.

Regards,

JohnMc