preventing a home run

[Guest Andrew]

A background story first. I saw Larry Walker once catch a fly ball and give it to a fan as he ran to the dugout. His teammates screamed at him there were not two out, so he ran back, grabbed the ball from the fan, and threw it back to the infield as a runner was making his way around the bases. Okay, so, every year we see a couple of times a deep fly ball goes off the glove of an outfielder and over the wall for a home run. What if that play occurred by a bullpen? Could the player open the bullpen doors, retrieve the ball, and throw it to the infield  to limit the hitter to perhaps a double or triple?

[Rich Ives]

24 minutes ago, Guest Andrew said:

A background story first. I saw Larry Walker once catch a fly ball and give it to a fan as he ran to the dugout. His teammates screamed at him there were not two out, so he ran back, grabbed the ball from the fan, and threw it back to the infield as a runner was making his way around the bases. Okay, so, every year we see a couple of times a deep fly ball goes off the glove of an outfielder and over the wall for a home run. What if that play occurred by a bullpen? Could the player open the bullpen doors, retrieve the ball, and throw it to the infield  to limit the hitter to perhaps a double or triple?

 

Peanuts and watermelons. 

Walker had possession. The batted  ball never left the field. Walker's play was thus just a throw out of bounds with the award being two bases from the time of the throw.

Your play is a batted ball leaving the field in flight and this a home run. 

[pnewton]

So in the Larry Walker play, his retrieving the ball was useless as time would be called as soon as the ball touched a fan. In that case runners would advance two bases from where they were when Larry threw the ball (just like if it were an overthrow from an outfielder trying to make a play).

In your hypothetical the play is over as soon as the ball touches something in the bullpen (to be ruled a home run), it would make no difference if a player went in there to get it.

[The Man in Blue]

OBR

5.09 Making an Out

(a) Retiring the Batter A batter is out when:

(1)  His fair or foul fly ball (other than a foul tip) is legally caught by a fielder;

Rule 5.09(a)(1) Comment: A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch, and if he holds the ball, the catch shall be allowed. A fielder, in order to make a catch on a foul ball nearing a dugout or other out-of-play area (such as the stands), must have one or both feet on or over the playing surface (including the lip of the dugout) and neither foot on the ground inside the dugout or in any other out-of-play area. Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, steps or falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead. Status of runners shall be as described in Rule 5.06(b)(3)(C) Comment

[Catch18]

 
out of bounds

Nnnnnnnnot a baseball term.

[noumpere]

3 hours ago, Guest Andrew said:

A background story first. I saw Larry Walker once catch a fly ball and give it to a fan as he ran to the dugout. His teammates screamed at him there were not two out, so he ran back, grabbed the ball from the fan, and threw it back to the infield as a runner was making his way around the bases. Okay, so, every year we see a couple of times a deep fly ball goes off the glove of an outfielder and over the wall for a home run. What if that play occurred by a bullpen? Could the player open the bullpen doors, retrieve the ball, and throw it to the infield  to limit the hitter to perhaps a double or triple?

is the bullpen if fair territory or foul territory?  Either way, the ball is dead when it touches something out of play, and bases will be awarded.

 

From OBR (but other codes are the same):

(4) Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability
to be put out, advance:
(A) To home base, scoring a run, if a fair ball goes out
of the playing field in flight and he touched all
bases legally; or if a fair ball which, in the
umpire’s judgment, would have gone out of the
playing field in flight, is deflected by the act of a
fielder in throwing his glove, cap, or any article of
his apparel;

(F) Two bases, if a fair ball bounces or is deflected
into the stands outside the first or third base foul
lines; or if it goes through or under a field fence, or
through or under a scoreboard, or through or under
shrubbery or vines on the fence; or if it sticks in
such fence, scoreboard, shrubbery or vines;

[maven]

I'll put noumpere's point in slightly more fan-friendly language:

• bullpens behind the outfield fence and ball deflects off fielder into bullpen = home run.
• bullpens outside the foul lines but in front of the outfield fence and ball deflects off fielder into bullpen = "ground rule double."

 

[Rich Ives]

4 hours ago, Catch18 said:

 

Nnnnnnnnot a baseball term.

 

The fence is a boundary. Deal with it.

[Jimurray]

2 hours ago, Rich Ives said:

The fence is a boundary. Deal with it.

But it's not a boundary line. That line defines fair territory and is called the foul line but all of it is the fair boundary line:

"The infield and outfield, including the boundary lines, are fair territory and all other area is foul territory."