GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When is an MLB batter out for hitting a ball with a foot outside the batter's box?
The batter is out under Rule 6.03(a)(1) when one or both feet are on the ground entirely outside the batter's box at the moment the batter hits the ball. The Comment applies whether the hit is fair or foul. The lines defining the box are inside it, so a foot resting on a line is not entirely outside. If the rule is violated, the ball is dead and runners return under Rule 5.06(c)(4). This is the contact-time out, not the separate rule about leaving the box between pitches.
For Fans and players examining a batter's feet at contact rather than assuming every step near the box is an out. · Updated
Check the feet at the instant of contact
The rule's test is tied to the moment the bat hits the ball. One or both feet must be on the ground entirely outside the batter's box for this out to apply. A foot's position after contact, or an airborne frame without the ground-contact context, does not establish that test.
The Comment applies to a fair or foul ball. A foul result does not erase an otherwise qualifying illegal-batting condition.
The line belongs to the box
The approved ruling says the lines defining the batter's box are within the box. A foot touching a boundary line is therefore not entirely outside. If one grounded foot is entirely outside at contact while the other remains inside, the condition is met.
Do not confuse this with the between-pitches Batter's Box Rule, catcher interference, or a third-strike rule. They have different triggers and outcomes.
Which rulebook this explanation uses
This guide follows the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball's Official Baseball Rules, 2026 Edition. Its change summary lists base-coach-box changes in Rule 5.03, not a new batter-contact rule under 6.03(a)(1); that summary is not a redline. No day-level effective date or adoption outside MLB and affiliated professional-development leagues is asserted.
A line touch and a foot entirely outside
In a fictional contact snapshot, both of Tori's feet are inside the box and the edge of one grounded foot rests on a boundary line. Because the line belongs to the box, that position is not entirely outside. In another snapshot, one grounded foot is entirely outside when the bat meets the ball while the other foot is inside. The rule's condition applies whether the ball is fair or foul. A camera angle or the foot's later position does not decide a real call.
Related questions
Does a foot touching the batter's-box line count as outside?
No. The approved ruling places the defining lines within the batter's box.
Does the ball have to be fair for the batter to be out?
No. The Comment to Rule 6.03(a)(1) applies when the batter hits a fair or foul ball while the required foot position is entirely outside.
Is this the same as stepping out of the box between pitches?
No. This rule concerns the feet on the ground entirely outside at ball contact. The between-pitches Batter's Box Rule has a different trigger.