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

See Examples For:

fair ball

Then a ball person picked up Thairo Estrada’s fair ball down the left-field line and tossed it into the stands in the sixth.

From Seattle Times ● May 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

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the eighth when the ball boy down the first-base line mistakenly picked up a fair ball, resulting in a ground-rule double.

From Washington Times ● May 5, 2018

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

He hit one or two fouls, but not a fair ball.

From Only an Irish Boy Andy Burke's Fortunes by Alger, Horatio