Bretman wrote:nohesitation wrote:If the ball hit the bat, then fair.
If the bat hit the ball, then out.
In rule 7-6-K, exception 2, is says: …….. batter drops bat and the ball rolls against the bat in fair territory………ball is live.
Can a ball roll against a bat that is rolling away from the ball, yes, fair ball.
Not disagreeing with your "ball hits bat, bat hits ball" logic, but...
Note the highlighted parts in your quote above. The rule you quoted says that when the ball hits the bat the ball is LIVE.
Twice, you said that such a ball is FAIR. That is incorrect. When the batted ball contacts discarded equipment over fair ground (and it isn't interference), the ball is not immediately or automatically "fair". It does not become "fair" or "foul" until it meets one of the definitions of fair or foul- just like any other batted ball. As the rule states, this ball would still be "live". It could subsequently become either fair or foul depending on what happens next- where it stops rolling, where it is first touched by a player, what it hits next, etc.
Conversely- and, sometimes, confusingly- the opposite is not true. When a batted ball contacts discarded equipment over foul ground, it is immediately a foul ball.
Good point, Thanks. In the post above change “then fair” in the fourth sentence to “live ball” and in the second to last sentence from “fair ball” to “live ball”.
