Baseball fielders sometimes make spectacular running and diving catches that save runs and bail the pitcher out. Getting a glove on the ball can be tricky, especially if you have to run to get to it. As with every other element of the game of baseball, rules are in place that deal with catching the ball, and with which parts of your uniform and equipment you can use to make a catch. Using a hat is not permitted.
Using Your Hat
When making a catch in baseball, you can only use your gloved hand or your bare hand for it to be considered a catch. Using any other part of your uniform, including your hat, is not considered a catch. The baseball hat may be a suitable instrument for snagging fly balls in the stands, but if you are a player on the field, keep it on your head and use your glove.
No Catch
Aside from what you use to catch the ball, a few other things can happen during the process to make the catch invalid. If you do make the catch, but immediately crash into a fence, a teammate or the ground, and the ball falls out of your glove, it is not a catch. If you briefly catch the ball and then it falls out of your glove and hits a base runner or umpire and is caught again before it hits the ground, it is not a catch.
A Legal Catch
For a play to be a legal catch in baseball, the umpire must determine that you had control of the ball. A clean catch in which the ball stays in your glove is obviously a catch, as is a catch in which the ball falls out after you have established control. Dropping the ball while transferring to your throwing hand is one example. A catch is also ruled good if you bobble the ball before maintaining control, but a teammate catches it before it hits the ground.
Catching Fly Balls
Before you can know whether a catch is good or not, you must first get to the ball and have it enter your glove. Keeping your eye on the ball is crucial, since it is easy to lose a baseball in the bright sky. If you do lose the ball, stay still and listen for your teammates to direct you to where it is. If the sun is a problem, hold your throwing hand or glove up to block it while you track the ball. If you do have to run, stay off your heels or the ball will move up and down with each step, If you get there before the ball, stay behind it so you can have forward momentum for your throw to the infield.
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