A batted ball is judged to be fair when the ball:

• A. Lands on fair ground after touching a player who was over foul ground.
• B. First falls on foul ground past third base, but settles on fair territory.
• C. Touches first, second or third base.
• D. As a ground ball touches a bat resting on foul ground and rebounds into fair territory.

Answer: (C)

A batted ball becomes fair the moment it touches first, second, or third base. Those bases are the boundary markers of fair territory, so contact with a base guarantees the ball is fair regardless of what happens next.

In this scenario, touching a base is the only bullet that automatically makes the ball fair. If the ball contacts a fielder while he’s in foul territory, or if it lands in foul ground before entering fair territory, that does not make the ball fair. Likewise, hitting a bat resting on foul ground and rebounding into fair territory doesn’t make the ball fair either. Therefore, the ball touching one of the bases is the correct way for a batted ball to be judged fair.