Tropicana Field rules: What happens if a baseball hits the catwalk?

For the fifth straight year, the Tampa Bay Rays are in the postseason and have a chance to win a World Series title. Unfortunately, they're one loss away from going home for the winter, so they'll have to deal with some adversity after losing Game 1.

However, there are certain things about Tropicana Field that are somewhat unclear, particularly when it comes to the catwalks that are suspended over the field of play. What happens when a ball actually hits the catwalk at Tropicana Field?

Well, fortunately, we have the answer, or possibly multiple answers to this question. According to the Tropicana Field ground rules courtesy of MLB.com, there are several possible outcomes.

Tropicana Field rules: What happens if baseball hits the catwalk in Tampa Bay?

Firstly, the rules state that if a ball strikes the lower catwalks, including but not limited to lights or suspended objects attached to those catwalks in fair territory, it is a home run.

A batted ball that strikes the upper catwalks in fair territory is considered in play, and if caught by a fielder, the batter is out. Runners may advance at their own risk. If the ball remains on the catwalk and is not ruled a home run, the batter is awarded two bases. In other words, it would be considered a ground-rule double.

Finally, if a ball strikes either the upper or lower catwalks in foul territory, the ball is considered dead.

These are certainly some very interesting rules. Obviously, some will wonder why a ball that hits the lower catwalks can result in a home run while a ball that hits the upper catwalks does not.

Most likely, it has to do with the trajectory of the ball. Oftentimes, the higher a ball is hit, the shorter the distance, which often results in a pop-out on the infield or in the shallow part of the outfield.

Still, it's interesting to note that these rules are in place for games at Tropicana Field, and if something like this were to happen in a postseason game, it would certainly make for an interesting storyline.

Most indoor stadiums have catwalks to prevent balls from hitting the roof. These rules obviously don't mean much when teams are playing in outdoor environments or stadiums without roofs.

But there you have it. This is what happens when batted balls strike the catwalks at Tropicana Field. Depending on which catwalk it strikes, and where it strikes, the ruling on the field will be different.