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ESO Baseball Rules
Mini Clinic
With
Rick Roder c
November 30, 2007
Presentation includes narration; please turn up your volume.

2. Presentation includes narration; please turn up your volume.
Welcome!
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Off-season clinics are posted twice per month at ESO “Online Training.”
Questions are submitted by umpires via .
For each mini clinic play you’ll be asked to “make the call.”
Use PAUSE button to read options in any frame.
Rules, sources, mechanics, helpful hints provided.
Rule differences (pro, NFHS, NCAA) will be noted.
Bonus: Monthly quiz posted last day of month.

3. November 30, 2007: MLB rule change
Larry Young: MLB umpire and Playing Rules Committee member
Tom Lepperd: Director of Umpire Administration

4. A “problem rule”:
OBR 7.05a: Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out, advance—
(a) To home base, scoring a run, if a fair ball goes out of the playing field in flight and he touched all bases legally…

5. Play #1:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and comes down just beyond the fence in dead ball territory:
Home run.
Ground rule double; cannot be HR because it did not pass out of play in flight and was not deflected by fielder(s). Top of the wall is in play.

6. Play #2:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and comes down just inside the fence in live ball territory:
Home run; any ball that breaks the front plane of the home run fence has passed out of play in flight.
Ground rule double; “a” is true but the ball did not end up over the fence.
Ball is in play.

7. Play #3:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and while the ball is coming back down, clearly on the dead-ball side of the wall, an outfielder catches it:
Home run; any ball that breaks the front plane of the home run fence has passed out of play in flight.
Ground rule double; “a” is true but the ball did not end up over the fence.
Ball is in play.
Catch; ball is still in flight when it hits the top of the wall.

8. Play #4:
Fly ball hits top of padding that extends from the ground to about 2/3 the way up a tall home run wall. The ball bounces over the wall and out of play:
Home run; the ball is still considered in flight when it hits the top of a barrier.
Ground rule double; the padding is considered part of the face of the home run wall.

9. Rule Problem:
OBR does not cover fly balls that hit the top of the wall or fence:
Is the top of the fence in play?
Is a fly ball that hits the top of the fence automatically a home run? If not, can it become one if it continues out of play (no longer in flight)? Or must it be a double?

10. Current Practice:
Top of fence is in play:
--Fly ball that touches it is no longer in flight.
--However, if the ball hits it and continues over the fence into DBT, it is a home run
--Hits and comes back into play: live ball
--Concerns only “top” of the home run wall or fence; padding, facing of fence are simply part of the field.

11. Home run. Play #1 correct answer:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and comes down just beyond the fence in dead ball territory:
Home run.
Ground rule double; cannot be HR because it did not pass out of play in flight and was not deflected by fielder(s). Top of the wall is in play.

12. Ball is in play. Play #2 correct answer:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and comes down just inside the fence in live ball territory:
Home run; any ball that breaks the front plane of the home run fence has passed out of play in flight.
Ground rule double; “a” is true but the ball did not end up over the fence.
Ball is in play.

13. Play #3:
Fly ball hits top of home run wall, bounces high in the air, and while the ball is coming back down, clearly on the dead-ball side of the wall, an outfielder catches it:
Home run; any ball that breaks the front plane of the home run fence has passed out of play in flight.
Ground rule double; “a” is true but the ball did not end up over the fence.
Ball is in play.
Catch; ball is still in flight when it hits the top of the wall.

14. Play #4 correct answer:
Fly ball hits top of padding that extends from the ground to about 2/3 the way up a tall home run wall. The ball bounces over the wall and out of play:
Home run; the ball is still considered in flight when it hits the top of a barrier.
Ground rule double; the padding is considered part of the face of the home run wall.

15. Proposed addendum/comment for OBR 7.05a:
If a fair fly ball contacts the top of the outfield wall or fence, it is no longer in flight but may become a home run.  If such a batted ball bounds back into the field of play it remains in play.  However, if it continues over the fence and touches any object or person that is outside the playing field it is a home run. 

16. Initial addendum proposed by Young was edited four or five times.
Rule changes are very hard to push through
Players Association must approve
May simply insert the “addendum” language in the Universal Ground Rules section of the MLB Umpire’s Manual.
Young’s goal: cover umpires’ backs on the field.

17. Thank you for participating!
Next ESO Mini Clinic: December 15
Please rule questions to