Situation: Troy Tulowitzki hit a ball in first inning Thursday that bounced off a flower pot behind the left-center field in Philadelphia and back onto the field of play.
Ruling: Home run
Reason: Each park has specific ground rules, but all balls that are hit over the outfield fence, between or off the foul poles, without first touching the ground, are home runs. (Note to Rockies fans: Unless the umpire misses the call.) A ball that bounces in fair territory before going over the fence is ruled a double.
Individual park rules come into play when a ball hits the top of the outfield fence and goes over, such as what happened at Coors Field on Monday in the tiebreaker game. If a park has a yellow line running along the top of the fence, as Coors Field does, the ball must clear the yellow line. If the ball hits any part of the yellow strip and goes over the fence, it is ruled a home run.
If a ball hits an outfielder on the head on the fly (think Jose Canseco) and bounces over the fence, it’s a home run. Two additional umpires, for a total of six, are used in the outfield for postseason games to better judge plays near the fence or foul pole.
