Watching some over the wall HR stealing catches made me wonder. What exactly is the rule on an out vs a HR? You can obviously rob a ball already over the wall for an out. You can also catch a ball in play and carry it over the wall for an out. But what would happen if you had a short wall and jumped completely over it and caught a ball after it was past the wall? Does it make any difference if you catch it before you touch ground?

So you could catch a ball 4-5 feet beyond the wall with no part of your body in play and as long as you catch it before landing it is an out.

Yes. There's plenty of examples of guys jumping and catching a ball and falling into the stands and as long as they hold on it's an out.

That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about catching one with all of their body clearly over the wall in the bullpen per say.
Think of an NFL equivalent. A receiver leaps at the very end of the end zone and catches the ball landing 5 yards out if bounds but it is still a touchdown.

Or as you have undoubtedly seen a guy jumping up the wall planting his foot on the wall jumping way over and not even catching the ball until he was 5-6 feet past the wall.

Agnzona said:

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That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about catching one with all of their body clearly over the wall in the bullpen per say.

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Is all of their body still in the air from a leap taken within the field of play when they make the catch? Then yes, it's a catch.

Now if they jump from the field of play, land in the out-of-play area and THEN make the catch, it's not a catch.

Rule 5.09(a)(1) Comment (Rule 6.05(a) Comment): A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch, and if he holds the ball, the catch shall be allowed. A fielder, in order to make a catch on a foul ball nearing a dugout or other out-of-play area (such as the stands), must have one or both feet on or over the playing surface (including the lip of the dugout) and neither foot on the ground inside the dugout or in any other out-of-play area. Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, steps or falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead. Status of runners shall be as described in Rule 5.06(b)(3)(C) Comment (Rule 7.04(c) Comment)

EOT. Lance has spoken!

So based on that, if an outfielder jumps at the wall and makes a catch but falls into the stands after making the catch, it's a homerun?

I read that as if both feet are already over the wall (out of play) it is not a catch if his toes are still vertically over the in play plane it is.

Quote:

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Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, steps or falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead.

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How many bases do the runners get on a foul ball? How many do they get on a fair ball? Same as a throw into the stands?

Lance mostly has it, but there is an important "catch comment" that comes a paragraph later that has implications as well.

Quote:

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Catch Comment
: A catch is legal if the ball is finally held by
any fielder, even though juggled, or held by another fielder
before it touches the ground. Runners may leave their bases the
instant the first fielder touches the ball. A fielder may reach
over a fence, railing, rope or other line of demarcation to make
a catch. He may jump on top of a railing, or canvas that may be
in foul ground. No interference should be allowed when a
fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to
catch a ball. He does so at his own risk.
If a fielder, attempting a catch at the edge of the dugout, is
"held up" and kept from an apparent fall by a player or players
of either team and the catch is made, it shall be allowed

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This basically allows the climb the fence catches, as well as Rizzo's catch a couple years back where he stood on the wall in front of the first row of stands.

What if the wall has a yellow line? Wouldn't that be considered out of play since if the ball hits it, it is a HR. So if a player stood on top of a wall with a yellow line, he's no longer in play. But if a player stands on a wall without a yellow line, he's in play.

A ball hitting the yellow line is only a homerun if it goes out of play; if it his the line and somehow bounces back onto the field, it's still live.

Ive never understood why they paint the yellow line on the inside of the fence in addition to the top of it?

The wall at Arlington Stadium was about 2' thick concrete, with the first row of bleachers about 6' above and 3' behind. It wasn't a bad setup. The fans were close, but not close enough to interfere. HR's would routinely hit on top of the wall and then off the fence in front of the fans, and back onto the field. It was easy to see as an umpire. However, the top of that concrete had a couple of pieces rebar or metal hooks sticking up no more than an inch or so out of the concrete, I'm guessing so they could hang banners. Once in a blue moon a ball would hit that hook and bounce back into play. This was not a HR, which meant that the 2' of concrete was technically in play. Quirky place.