fair ball

American  

noun

Baseball.

1. a batted ball that both lands and settles within the foul lines in the infield, or that is within the foul lines when bounding to the outfield past first or third base, or that first lands within the foul lines of the outfield or would if it were not caught or deflected.

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Etymology

Origin of fair ball

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Ms. Spanberger, meanwhile, said her withdrawal was due to Ms. Vega not playing fair ball about agreed-upon rules.

From Washington Times • Oct. 18, 2022

A trio of Pirates scored Sunday when New York pitcher Taijuan Walker knocked a barely fair ball into foul territory and nobody went to retrieve it.

From Fox News • Jul. 20, 2021

In the sixth inning, Beltran hit a ground ball over third base, and television replays showed it hitting the foul line — clearly a fair ball, but not to the umpire, who called it foul.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2012

I got kind of caught in no-man’s land before I realized it was a fair ball.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2012

It was a straight-away, honest and fair ball that he sent.

From Dick Prescotts's Fourth Year at West Point Ready to Drop the Gray for Shoulder Straps by Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)