ball landing on foul ball line

Question
QUESTION: What would be the ASA ruling for a ball landing on the foul ball line. Or if half of the ball is on the line and the other in foul territory?

ANSWER: Hi Dan,

Thank you for your question.  I interpreted the phrase "landing on the foul ball line" to mean "coming to rest" or "coming to a complete stop" on the foul line.  If a batted ball lands on the foul line before reaching either first or third base, and ANY portion of the ball is on or over the foul line, then the ball is fair.

Please submit a second question with additional information if your first question wasn't answered to your complete satisfaction!

Scott Kelly



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

QUESTION: I should have added that it was a line drive that bent around 3rd base in fair territory and the first impact, with the ground, was on the line and then bounced foul.

Answer
Hi Dan,

Thank you for your second question with the additional information!  It's obvious with your first question that I took a stab at what sort of batted ball you were describing.  I thought it might have been a batted ball that landed/came to rest on an infield foul line.  I'm sorry that I took a wrong stab and that you had to submit a second question.

On a batted ball to the outfield, no matter what airborne "route" the ball takes in relation to any base--to the left of it, over it, or to the right of it-- what ultimately matters is where the ball first touches the ground.  For a batted ball that first hits the foul line beyond any base, if any part of the ball hits any part of the foul line, then you have a fair ball.  From there it doesn't matter if the ball bounces into fair territory, foul territory, or dead ball territory...it's still a fair ball.  

Scott Kelly