In baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, a foul tip is defined as "a batted ball that goes sharp directly from the bat

Baseball bat

A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...

 to the catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

’s hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike

Strike zone

In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...

, and the ball is in play."

This definition distinguishes a foul tip from an ordinary foul ball

Foul ball

In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...

.
Many fans and sportscasters mistakenly use the term "foul tip" to describe any pitch

Pitch (baseball)

In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...

 at which the batter swings and makes slight contact, regardless of whether it is caught by the catcher. But as defined within the rules, it is not a foul tip if it first touches anything other than the catcher's hand or glove, or if it is not legally caught and held by the catcher. In such cases the pitch is a foul ball and not a foul tip. Even if caught by the catcher before touching anything else, it is not a foul tip if it does not go "sharp directly" from the bat to the catcher; in other words, if the ball pops up in foul territory and the catcher catches it, then it is a foul ball and not a foul tip. If the pitch touches the ground before reaching the batter, and the batter then swings and nicks that ball with his bat, it would be a foul tip if hit directly to the catcher's hands and legally caught.

The rules treat a foul tip as equivalent in every respect to a pitch at which the batter swings and misses. It thus differs from a foul ball in the following ways:

• It is always a strike, regardless of the existing ball-and-strike count
  Count (baseball)
  In baseball, the count refers to the number of balls and strikes a batter has in his current plate appearance. It is usually announced as a pair of numbers, for example, 3-1 , with the first number being the number of balls and the second being the number of strikes.An individual pitch may also be...
  
   on the batter. If the batter already has two strikes, the foul tip is the third strike and the batter is out by strikeout
  Strikeout
  In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
  
   (unlike a foul ball, which ordinarily cannot count as the third strike). Since, by definition, the catcher has held the third strike, the batter is unconditionally out and cannot attempt to reach first base, regardless of circumstances.

• Unless the foul tip is the third strike, the batter is not out
  Out (baseball)
  In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
  
   as he would be if his ordinary foul ball were caught (by the catcher or any other fielder
  Baseball positions
  There are 9 fielding positions in baseball. Each position conventionally has an associated number which is used to score putouts...
  
  ). The foul tip merely adds a strike to the batter's count.

• The ball remains alive
  Live ball (baseball)
  In baseball, when the ball is alive , the game can proceed. The pitcher may pitch the ball , the batter may attempt to hit such a pitch, baserunners may attempt to advance at their own risk, and the defense may attempt to put the batter or baserunners out.-Definition:The ball becomes live when the...
  
   and runners
  Baserunning
  In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat.In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. In fact, the goal of batting is generally to produce baserunners, or help move...
  
   may advance or be thrown out
  Tag out
  In baseball, a tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baserunner is out because he is touched by the fielder's hand or glove holding a live ball while the runner is in jeopardy...
  
  on the bases, just as on any other strike that is not a foul ball.