TJ Friedl of the Cincinnati Reds hits a line drive off a pitch from Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins.
The Ball is Hit
The pitch comes in, the batter swings… and they actually hit the ball!
There are lots of ways that you could categorize what happens next, but for our purposes, the biggest thing to consider is whether the ball was hit fair or foul. Generally, if the ball is hit foul, the batter may wind up getting up out, but if not, the plate appearance will continue1. If the ball is hit fair, the batter will either reach base, or be put out; either way, the plate appearance is over.