The batter hits a stand-up double with his foot on the inside line of the batter's box and also on home plate. What is the ruling?

• A. The hit stands; the batter stays on second base.
• B. The batter returns to bat with his previous count.
• C. The batter is declared out.
• D. The batter is ejected.

Answer: (A)

When the batter makes contact with the ball, the placement of his feet in relation to the batter’s box and home plate is what the rules consider for legality of the pitch and the play, not a penalty by itself. A foot on the inside line of the batter’s box is part of being in the box, and having a portion of the foot on home plate at the moment of contact is not automatically illegal for a batted ball. If the ball is hit into fair territory and becomes live, the batter-runner may advance just as any other fair ball.

In this situation the ball is a stand-up double, so it stays in play and the batter is credited with a double while safely reaching second base. The count on the at-bat continues in the normal way for a hit (the at-bat ends with the ball in play; the batter does not “return to bat” with a prior count). Options involving an out or ejection would require different circumstances, and returning to bat with the previous count doesn’t align with how a live fair ball is handled.