What is the Foul Ball, Time-out and Dead Ball Signal?

• A. Place one hand on top of the other hand to form a "T."
• B. Both hands open above the head, signal foul ball, time-out or ball is dead immediately.
• C. They are three separate and distinct signals.
• D. There is no signal, just the umpire verbally explaining his action/call.

Answer: (B)

Raising both hands open above the head is the standard, highly visible signal used to indicate a stoppage or dead ball in these situations. By using both arms over the head with palms open, the umpire makes the call unmistakable to everyone on the field—foul ball, time-out, or ball dead—so players, coaches, and spectators can quickly understand what happened even from a distance. This single, clear gesture helps communicate the status of the play without relying on words alone.

The other options rely on different gestures or claim there are separate signals for each situation, or suggest no signal is used, which isn’t how NFHS baseball signals are intended to work. The key idea is that this high-visibility signal conveys stoppage or ball status in a universally recognizable way.