# Baseball Q **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952 "2005-10-26T04:15:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ishamael69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/1 "2005-10-26T04:15:40Z")
Tonight, in game 3 of the world series. Bottom of the ninth, 2 outs, the count is 0-2. There’s a pitch. When it is over, the count is still 0-2. What happened? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/2 "2005-10-26T04:16:30Z")
Foul ball. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/3 "2005-10-26T04:18:48Z")
Fouls count as strikes, but you can’t strike out on a foul ball. ---
**Author:** ![ishamael69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/4 "2005-10-26T04:21:19Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Fouls count as strikes, but you can’t strike out on a foul ball. Thanks. I’m a baseball newbie. Got an answer before the middle of the 10th. Gotta love this place. ---
**Author:** ![ishamael69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/5 "2005-10-26T04:23:24Z")
As a follow up, is there some reason that they count as strikes, but not third strike? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/6 "2005-10-26T04:24:48Z")
Well, it’s boring to _just_ watch baseball. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/7 "2005-10-26T04:24:52Z")
> [@ishamael69](#): > > As a follow up, is there some reason that they count as strikes, but not third strike? Because the rulebook says so? ---
**Author:** ![ishamael69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/8 "2005-10-26T04:27:40Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Because the rulebook says so? Good enough, I guess. I just noticed that usually when you look at wierd “exception” type rules, there is usually a reason for the exception, such as with the “fair catch” rule in football, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/9 "2005-10-26T04:54:35Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Fouls count as strikes, but you can’t strike out on a foul ball. Unless it’s a bunt.(which is to say, you can strike out on a bunted foul ball) ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/10 "2005-10-26T05:38:20Z")
As for why you can’t strike out on a foul ball (besides bunts) I assume it is the same reason there is a dropped third strike rule. The ball is in play and must be caught on the 3rd strike. There was a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335000&highlight=baseball+dropped+strike) not that long ago about the dropped 3rd strike rule, if you look at it thinking of striking out on a foul ball, you’ll see most of the arguments are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/11 "2005-10-26T06:46:32Z")
> [@ishamael69](#): > > Good enough, I guess. > > I just noticed that usually when you look at wierd “exception” type rules, there is usually a reason for the exception, such as with the “fair catch” rule in football, etc. Back in the old, old days, a foul ball was never a strike, but they changed the rules because games were taking too long. Cite? I Read It Somewhere, page whatever 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/12 "2005-10-26T07:31:33Z")
> [@ishamael69](#): > > As a follow up, is there some reason that they count as strikes, but not third strike? The reason seems to be only that it is one of the oldest rules in baseball, from the original [Knickerbocker rules of 1845](http://baseball-almanac.com/rule11.shtml): > [@Knickerbocker Rules](#): > > 11TH. Three balls being struck at and missed and the last one caught, is a hand-out; if not caught is considered fair, and the striker bound to run. Note that at this time (1845) there was no such thing as a called strike or a walk (base on balls). Also note that up through 1880, the catcher had to catch the ball on the fly or “on the fair bound” (i.e., after one bounce). The catcher also used to be positioned about 15 feet behind the batter. Many things changed, of course, including the one-bounce rule, but the puzzling “third strike is a fair ball” rule has remained. The notion of the “called strike,” where the umpire declares a pitch a strike even though the batter took no swing, didn’t happen until 1858. Evidently they didn’t mean for this to change the “third strike is a fair ball” rule. I’m not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/13 "2005-10-26T10:34:29Z")
A foul tip that is caught can be a third strike. The reason for the rule is that the ball must be caught to make an out. The reason for the bunt exception is that a good bunter could drag out an at bat for hours. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/14 "2005-10-26T13:29:41Z")
What I found interesting about the situation: Bottom of the ninth, tie game, bases loaded, two outs. There’s a batter on deck. True, he had his jacket on and was just leaning on his bat, but still. What the hey??? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/15 "2005-10-26T16:12:39Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > What I found interesting about the situation: > > Bottom of the ninth, tie game, bases loaded, two outs. There’s a batter on deck. True, he had his jacket on and was just leaning on his bat, but still. What the hey??? Are you asking why he was there or why he was so casual about it? I suppose conceivably the batter might’ve injured himself, i.e. throwing out his back on a missed swing. In that case, is the batting team allowed to put in a pinch batter? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/16 "2005-10-26T17:00:16Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Are you asking . . . He was asking why is the batter on deck when there’s no way he’s going to bat? If the batter who’s up drives home a run the game’s over. If there’s an out, the inning’s over. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/17 "2005-10-26T17:01:55Z")
> [@ishamael69](#): > > . . .wierd “exception” type rules, Like that exception to “i before e except after c.” What a weird rule. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/18 "2005-10-26T17:08:18Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Are you asking why he was there or why he was so casual about it? I suppose conceivably the batter might’ve injured himself, i.e. throwing out his back on a missed swing. In that case, is the batting team allowed to put in a pinch batter? He was there because he was on deck; he was casual because there was no way he was going to bat. Yes, the batter could be substituted for, even without an injury, but it would not be the on deck batter that would have taken his place, it would be a player off the bench. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/19 "2005-10-26T18:26:38Z")
Also, it is the on-deck batter’s responsibility to act as a kind of a “home plate coach” in the event that a runner dashing home from third base needs to be told to slide, and if so, toward which side of the plate to slide (left or right) or to do a hook slide, etc. So, in this case, the guy in the on-deck circle would be ready to get to a position where he could do just that. As to why the guy had a jacket on, I believe that to a guy playing on a team from Texas, 60 degrees F is probably considered “cold.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952/20 "2005-10-26T19:14:10Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > As to why the guy had a jacket on, I believe that to a guy playing on a team from Texas, 60 degrees F is probably considered “cold.” :rolleyes: The guy with the jacket on was Brad Lidge, the Astros’ pitcher at that time. You pretty much always see pitchers with a jacket on when they aren’t on the mound or actually at bat - I assume it’s to keep their throwing arm from stiffening up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-q/327952.md?page=2)