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{{short description|In baseball and softball, a pitched
{{good article}}
[[File:Casey McGehee 2009.jpg|thumbnail|right|upright=1.2|[[Casey McGehee]] on the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] puts a ball in play]]
In the sports of [[baseball]] and [[softball]], a '''batted ball''' is a [[Pitch (baseball)|pitch]] that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either [[fair ball|fair]] or [[foul ball|foul]], and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball.
==Fair or foul==
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On the playing field, two straight lines (each known as a [[Foul line (baseball)|foul line]]) are drawn from the corner of home plate; one past [[first base]] and one past [[third base]]. The foul lines extend all the way to the outer limit of the [[outfield]], typically a wall or fence, and perpendicularly up the wall or fence.<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|147}} The entire area between foul lines, including the foul lines themselves, is considered fair territory;<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|147}} anything not in fair territory is considered foul territory.<ref name=MLBrules>{{cite web |url=https://content.mlb.com/documents/2/2/4/305750224/2019_Official_Baseball_Rules_FINAL_.pdf |title=Official Baseball Rules |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=2019 |via=MLB.com |accessdate=October 8, 2022}}</ref>{{rp|149}}
In general, batted balls are judged by
That a batted ball hit into the ground has to pass first base or third base in fair territory to be considered fair originated in response to "fair-foul" hitting of the 1860s and 1870s.<ref name=dickey/> Batters would intentionally hit the ball into the ground in fair territory near home plate, at an angle that would send it into foul territory away from the fielders, allowing the batter to reach first base successfully.<ref name=dickey/> [[Dickey Pearce]], a well-known and respected player of the era, is credited with inventing the tactic.<ref name=dickey>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Dickey-Pearce/ |title=Dickey Pearce |first=Brian |last=McKenna |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]] |accessdate=October 9, 2022}}</ref>
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Fielders can attempt to make an [[out (baseball)|out]] by catching any ball hit in the air, fair or foul, as long as it is still in play.<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|39}} Balls that leave the field of play, such as by going into spectator areas or the [[Dugout (baseball)|dugout]]s, are out of play. For balls on the ground, fielders can attempt to make an out on fair balls only.
A batted ball that clears the outfield fence in fair territory is a [[home run]].<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|22}} Since 1931, whether such a batted ball is fair or foul is judged on its position when it leaves the field (that is, where it is as it passes over the outfield fence or wall).<ref name=BA/> Previously, the ball had to be "fair when last seen" to be ruled a home run.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111016451/babe-ruth-gained-four/ |title=Babe Ruth Gained Four |newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]] |page=12 |date=January 25, 1921 |accessdate=October 9, 2022 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Also since 1931, the ball must clear the fence or wall on the fly to be a home run; previously, the ball could bounce over and still be considered a home run—such a batted ball is now an [[automatic double]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/al-lopez-hits-last-bounce-home-run |title=Future Hall of Famer Al López Hits the Last 'Bounce' Home Run in Big League History |website=baseballhall.org |first=Connor |last=O'Gara |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016175844/https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/al-lopez-hits-last-bounce-home-run |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=oldtyme/>
A foul ball normally counts as a [[Strike (baseball)|strike]] unless the batter already has had two strikes assessed against them, in which case the [[count (baseball)|count]] does not change. Treating foul balls as strikes was adopted by the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in 1901 and the [[American League]] in 1903.<ref name=BA/> There are specific rules for foul tips and foul bunts, which are described below. In slow-pitch softball, a foul ball ''always'' counts as a strike, even when the batter already has two strikes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://static.wbsc.org/assets/cms/documents/5e85a934-d622-2bd8-62f9-854264607589.pdf |title=Official Rules of Softball Slow Pitch |page=57 |publisher=[[World Baseball Softball Confederation]] |date=March 2022 |accessdate=October 9, 2022}}</ref>
==Characterization==
[[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) uses four characterizations for all batted balls
[[file:Yadiel Hernandez (50336621713).jpg|thumb|right|An [[outfielder]] about to catch a fly ball]]
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===Pop-up===
A pop-up is a fly ball that does not travel far; rather than going into the outfield, it is hit to the infield.<ref name=
===Line drive===
[[file:Irving Falu fielding a grounder at third (28859678414).jpg|thumb|right|An [[infielder]] about to field a ground ball]]
A line drive (colloquially, a "liner" or "rope") is a batted ball "hit
===Ground ball===
A ground ball (colloquially, a "grounder") is a batted ball
==Statistics==
[[File:J. D. Martinez on July 2, 2012.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.6|[[J. D. Martinez]] batting in 2012]]
[[MLB.com]] provides statistics for hitters, using the above four categories, as part of a "Batted Ball Profile". For example, during the 2022 season, for the balls that [[designated hitter]] [[J. D. Martinez]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] put into play, 38.2% were ground balls, 30.8% were fly balls, 26.7% were line drives, and 4.3% were pop-ups (the four figures sum to 100%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/j-d-martinez-502110?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb |title=J.D. Martinez Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics: Batted Ball Profile |website=MLB.com |accessdate=October 10, 2022}}</ref>
[[FanGraphs]] also provides batted ball statistics, but uses the four categories slightly differently: all balls put into play are characterized into one of ''three'' categories: ground ball, fly ball (regardless of where hit), or line drive.<ref name=FGbb/> The percentage of fly balls that were hit in the infield is then provided as a separate figure.<ref name=FGbb/> FanGraphs's statistics for Martinez for the 2022 season indicate 38.2% ground balls, 39.7% fly balls, and 22.1% line drives{{efn|Batted ball figures on FanGraphs and MLB.com may vary—categorizing batted balls is ultimately subjective.}} (the three figures sum to 100%).<ref name=FGjd>{{cite web |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jd-martinez/6184/game-log?position=DH/OF&gds=&gde=&type=3&season=2022 |title=J. D. Martinez Games Logs - Batting - 2022 |website=[[FanGraphs]]|accessdate=October 10, 2022}}</ref> Martinez also had a 5.8% "infield fly ball percentage",<ref name=FGjd/> meaning that 5.8% of the fly balls he hit were infield pop-ups.<ref name=FGbb/>
In 2010, FanGraphs noted that the "league average" for batted ball rates was 44% ground balls, 35% fly balls, and 21% line drives (the three figures sum to 100%) with 11% of fly balls being infield pop-ups.<ref name=FGbb>{{cite web |url=https://library.fangraphs.com/offense/batted-ball/ |title=GB%, LD%, FB% |first=Piper |last=Slowinski |website=[[FanGraphs]] |date=February 17, 2010 |accessdate=October 10, 2022}}</ref>
==Special cases==
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A specific rule applies to infielders attempting to catch some fly balls: the [[infield fly rule]], which has specific context. If (and only if) there are less than two outs and there are [[baserunner]]s on [[first base]] and [[second base]] (or the [[bases loaded|bases are loaded]]) a fly ball "which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort" results in the batter being called out, regardless of if the ball is caught.<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|149}} This rule is in place to prevent infielders from intentionally not catching the ball and being able to record multiple outs via a [[force play]].<ref name="infield fly">{{cite web |title=In Defense of Baseball's Infield Fly Rule |date=12 October 2012 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/in-defense-of-baseballs-infield-fly-rule/263569/ |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=6 February 2020}}</ref>
An infield fly is verbally
===Foul tip===
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===Bunt===
[[
A [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]] is a special type of batted ball. Bunts occur when pitched balls are "intentionally met with the bat" rather than being swung at.<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|145}} A ball that is bunted by a batter may be fair or foul, and while generally it does not travel very far, it may be a ground ball (the desired outcome), pop-up, or (rarely) line drive.
====Foul bunt====
Unlike other types of batted balls, for which a third strike is not assessed when a foul ball is hit with two strikes in the count, a third strike ''is'' assessed to the batter when a two-strike bunt goes foul, resulting in a strikeout.<ref name=MLBrules/>{{rp|41}} This rule originated as early as 1894 in response to batters intentionally bunting pitches foul in order to tire the pitcher, also impacting [[pace of play]].<ref name="two strike bunt">{{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Matt |title=History of Two-Strike Bunt Rule a Reminder Pace of Play Issues are Over a Century Old |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/history-of-two-strike-bunt-rule-a-reminder-pace-of-play-issues-are-over-a-century-old/ |work=CBS Sports |date=12 February 2018 |access-date=6 February 2020}}</ref>
==Safety concerns==
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Batted balls, especially line drives, can be dangerous to players, umpires, and spectators. There are myriad examples; several are provided below. A batted ball hit sharply at the pitcher is known as a "[[comebacker]]".
In August 1982, [[Jim Rice]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] left the dugout to carry a young boy that had been hit by a foul line drive into the team's clubhouse for medical treatment; the boy later underwent emergency surgery at a local hospital.<ref>{{cite
==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
* [[Ground ball/fly ball ratio]]▼
* [[Baltimore chop]]
* [[Batting average on balls in play]] (BABIP)
▲* [[Ground ball/fly ball ratio]] (GB/FB)
==Notes==
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