Catch

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This article is about catching an object in various sports. For the song by The Cure, see Catch (song). For the 90s pop group, see Catch (band). It may also be a reference to a person by the name of Catch.

Baseball

In baseball, a catch occurs when a fielder gains secure possession of a batted ball in flight, and maintains possession until he voluntarily or negligently releases the ball. When a catch occurs, the batter is out, and runners, once they properly tag up (retouch their time-of-pitch base), may attempt to advance at risk of being tagged out.

Unlike in American football and other sports, neither secure possession for a time nor for a number of steps is enough to demonstrate that a catch has occurred. A fielder may, for example, appear to catch and hold a batted ball securely, take a few more steps, collide with a wall or another player, and drop the ball—this is not a catch.

To avoid ambiguity with the common term catch meaning any action that gains possession of a ball, some may say that a fielder gloved a thrown ball or a batted, bouncing ball.

Cricket

A catch in cricket is similar to a catch in baseball. The fielder must obtain control over the ball and his own movement, without crossing the boundary. See the article Caught for more details.

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