# Baseball fields- Warning track in foul territory- why not dirt?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fields-warning-track-in-foul-territory-why-not-dirt/267147>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 2, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fields-warning-track-in-foul-territory-why-not-dirt/267147 "2004-10-02T04:03:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fields-warning-track-in-foul-territory-why-not-dirt/267147/1 "2004-10-02T04:03:00Z")

</div>

After watching J. T. Snow fail to make a play because of Dodger Stadium’s rubberized warning track by the visitor’s dugout, I have to wonder why the entire warning track isn’t dirt, like it is in the outfield.

Typical track dirt is certainly of a different enough texture than the grass to be noticeable to players, though I will concede that the rubberized track is even more different than grass.

An all-dirt track would allow for easier play, since the rubber doesn’t allow for sliding or diving. Can baseball spikes even get a hold in the rubber?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-fields-warning-track-in-foul-territory-why-not-dirt/267147/2 "2004-10-02T04:19:27Z")

</div>

WAG, if the track is rubberized by the dugouts, maybe it allows the players to remove field dirt from their cleats more efficiently, keeping the dugout from becoming a repository for clumps of dirt? Just brainstorming…