Baseball fan's expression changes from excitement to shame when he realizes he scooped up a ball in play

[OhhJim]

@Biggles

A ball that lands then rolls over the foul line (as opposed to a ball that lands over the foul line) is still in play. The fielder could have scooped it up and thrown it to (perhaps) get an out, but was deprived of the opportunity. Anyone on base was basically safe to reach the next base, at least (Could they run all the way? I dunno. Maybe someone who knows the sport better can say both what could have happened, and what actually did happen)

I looked it up. There was no one on base, so probably no effect by the ball being touched. If there HAD been someone on first base, the umpires probably would have held him at third, any other base, and the runner(s) score. The thing is, if there were a runner on first, and the fan DIDN’T touch the ball, it MIGHT have gone past the outfielder, or he MIGHT have kicked it, allowing said runner to score. So, by fielding the ball, the fan might have cost his team a run. The, uh, adult, who hit the ball didn’t score, in real life.