Definition: A foul ball is a batted ball that lands outside the field of play or rolls into the territory beyond the white lines that run from home plate to first and third base. When a ball is ruled foul, the play is dead, and the batter returns to home plate to continue their turn unless the ball was caught in the air for an out.
A foul ball counts as a strike against the batter, but with one major exception: it cannot be the third strike. If a batter already has two strikes and hits a foul ball, the count stays the same, and they get to try again. This allows a skilled hitter to stay alive by repeatedly fouling off difficult pitches until they get one they can hit fairly. However, if a fielder catches a foul ball while it is still in the air (a “foul fly”), the batter is out just as if it had been caught in the middle of the field.
Foul balls also serve a safety purpose in the stadium. Because they can be hit very hard into the stands, most modern ballparks have large protective netting to keep fans safe from fast-moving balls. If a ball is hit into the stands and not caught by a fielder, it remains a foul ball, and a lucky fan usually gets to keep it as a souvenir. For the pitcher, foul balls can be frustrating because they add to their total pitch count, making them tired without actually recording an out.
Example: The batter hit a high foul ball into the seats behind the dugout, so he had to come back to the plate and continue his at-bat.
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