Can Fielder Reestablish Themselves in Live Ball Territory after Leaving the Field of Play?

[Velho]

Had a LL Section game today* and a rules topic came up pre-game**:  If a fielder goes out of play can they then reestablish themselves in play and then makes a legal catch? In other words, can F5 cross into dead ball territory, then come back into live territory (both feet on the ground) and legally catch the ball?

OBR 5.09(a)(1) (consistent with LL 5.10(f) says: 

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.

MLBM and MiLBM both talk about above but not the presented scenario.

 

 

* My first Section plate assignment - and I didn't suck!

** The field had some idiosyncrasies - the one that prompted the discussion was one self inflicted by the league. Field is open past the dugouts. The TD was thoughtful and had a red line painted on the grass to designate the out of play area (Great!) but they extended the edge of the dugout concrete and not the fence line (Not Great!). Our resolution was to draw a foot long line from the last fence post to the edge of the dugout concrete to align with the painted red line. At the plate meeting, we explain that OOP had a 90 degree jog in it at the end of the dugout. Wasn't an issue during the game.

[grayhawk]

Yes, this isn't football where a player who runs out of bounds can't be the first one to touch the ball after running back in bounds. It only matters where the fielder's feet are when he first touches the ball. Where he was prior to that is irrelevant.

[Velho]

I've been hunting and hunting. I finally found a precise cite from the NCAA:

6.1.d.1:

 

OBR, FED, LL all talk about what happens when a fielder goes out of play AFTER a LEGAL catch. 

OBR Rule 5.09(a)(1) Comment: A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch

MLBU further states : A fielder is considered to be in the dugout—and thereby unable to make a valid catch—when the fielder has one or both feet on the surface inside the dugout

 

I can see ambiguity in those since it says "to make a catch" vs "when caught" but having at least one ruleset be explicit adds credibility to killing arguments of any loophole.

[Also, I just remembered this is how cricket deals with it as well - it's where fielder is grounded when touching the ball. Some great catches of popping it up while in bounds, going out of bounds, and then establishing in bounds to catch the ball they popped up to themselves]

[Aging_Arbiter]

As mentioned, this isn't football.  I'm not throwing MY hat on the ground for some little **** to step on!