What is a dead ball?

• A. A ball that remains live during a time-out.
• B. A time-out.
• C. A ball that is bunted foul.
• D. A ball or play event that ends live action and prevents further base advancement until play resumes.

Answer: (D)

Dead ball means the action on the field has stopped and the ball is not in play. When a ball becomes dead, runners may not advance, and no new action can occur until the umpire resumes play. This is what the definition is getting at: a ball or play event that ends live action and prevents further base advancement until play resumes. For example, when time-out is called, play stops and the ball is dead, so runners don’t advance until play resumes. The other options describe situations where the ball remains live or aren’t themselves a ball, so they don’t fit the concept of a dead ball.