One Play Became a Tutorial for Baseball Fans About Ground Rules

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Everyone seems to be buzzing about whether the Brewers stole a victory from the Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, after Ty France hit a high fly ball that caromed off one of the structures supporting American Family Field’s roof, with the ball dropping into the glove of Jackson Chourio. Lots of Padres fans think it should have been a homer. Brewers fans are sighing with relief. But here’s what fans need to know up front about that flyout in the top of the ninth: The decision about how to handle a ball hitting the roof was made long before both teams even took the field Saturday night.

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that, while there are certain parameters that must be held to, each stadium is unique. Each team can design a stadium to adjust for local conditions or to accommodate the thorny logistics of building structures so large. While we no longer have the very deep center field of the Polo Grounds or an extreme bandbox like Ebbets Field, stadiums are still permitted to be quirky. It’s all part of the charm of the national pastime.

Want a roof? Go ahead, play under a dome or a retractable roof. You can use any type of natural or artificial turf (the Brewers should consider the latter, given how often they smoke ground balls, but that’s another discussion). There's no rule on how much (or how little) foul ground there should be. The outfield distance and the height of the fences? Up to the architects hired by the team to build the parks.

This has all happened before; this will all happen again. It also means that there are circumstances that may show up in a given ballpark, which other ballparks might not deal with. Fortunately, Major League Baseball has a way to address that. Ground rules smooth out all the differences, so the game can be played (more or less) the same way in many different places.

According to the MLB website, this year’s ground rules were decided on March 25 by the Office of the Commissioner. Most of the time, rules like the one that came into play Saturday night don't change much, but they have to be locked in anew before each season begins. The Brewers aren't the only ones with rules governing what happens if a ball hits the roof, either.

One potential World Series opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays, has a similar rule in effect for Tropicana Field. For some of the catwalks and structures supporting the dome that is above the field of play, the rule is the same as it is for American Family Field: The ball is in play, and if caught, the batter is out.

Of course, some ground rules are universal, and are applied in varying ways only because of slight differences in the shape or placement of standard structures. In no stadium can a player go into the dugout to catch a foul ball. Balls that get lodged in signage are dead, and umpires place runners based on the same criteria at each field. Chairs cannot be brought onto the playing field from the dugout or bullpen.

There are some other unique ground rules for American Family Field people may want to keep in mind: The pads on the left-field foul pole are considered part of the foul pole. Hit them in flight,and it's a home run. A bouncing ball that hits the pad is a ground-rule double. The ground rules also determine what happens if a ball hits the top of the outfield wall at American Family Field (It’s a home run, even if it bounces back onto the field).

When the series goes to San Diego, Petco Field will have its own ground rules. Petco Field is located right next to the Western Metal Supply Building, which almost looks like part of the left field wall. As most fans know, though, if a ball hits the stadium in fair territory on the fly, it’s a home run. If it his to the left of a yellow stripe on the building, it’s a foul ball.

Hitting the top of the videoboard in right field of Petco on the fly is a home run, while if it hits the top after bouncing, it’s a ground-rule double. This will be the case even if the ball is in play. Before each game, the managers of the two teams will meet to discuss ground rules for that specific game. That eliminates real surprises in most cases—including this one.

Sometimes, a given at-bat can be a learning experience for fans and outside media, though. This one created a storm of controversy, but it was an utterly needless one. The ball was in play. It was caught. The rules make clear how it was to be called, and it was called correctly. Onward.