should a catcher catch a third strike bunt fly ball in foul territoy?
by Jad Haidar
(Beirut,Lebanon)
Bunt Attempt With 2 Strikes, Automatically Strike Three
Jad asked: If a batter has 2 strikes and bunts into foul ground he is out,however, what if the bunt had the ball popped up in foul ground? He doesn't need to attempt to catch it, right?
Rick answered: Jad, thank you for your question.
You are correct. As soon as the ball is in foul territory the umpire should declare the ball is "dead, batter is out", thus no runners may advance on the action.
As you look at the photo above, there are runners on first and third. If the batter bunts the ball foul, and it is his third strike, he is automatically out, and those 2 runners remain where they were at the start of the play.
Catcher does not need to catch the ball, or even attempt to.
Yours in baseball,
Rick
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