The infield fly rule takes effect on a fair fly ball that, in the judgment of the umpire, can be caught by an infielder, pitcher, or catcher with ordinary effort and when. The only outcome that produces more outs than an infield fly balls. What is the infield fly rule and why do they have it. It was put in place in order to prevent defensive players from dropping a fly ball hit to the infield on purpose in order to turn a quick double play. A poorly played pop fly is not only embarrassing for the players, it can lead to errors, runs for the other team, and even dangerous collisions. It returned to the national spotlight this past week when an unusual and controversial infield fly. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to call infield fly rule no infield fly was called as j. Flyball rate can be used as a metric to evaluate both hitters and pitchers, although its more frequently used to. The umpires declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out and all force plays are removed regardless of whether the ball is caught. This is normally called to put a stop to a double play. The rule is in place to protect offenses from defenses dropping easy fly balls, routine fly balls, while runners are on base in a multiple force out situation so as to collect easy double play outs because the runners on base have to protect against being forced out. The effect of hitting infield fly balls beyond the box score.
An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder. In defense of baseballs infield fly rule the atlantic. Mar 10, 2020 a few important points about the infield fly rule. If the popup is in fair territory and if there are fewer than two batters out and runners on at least first and second bases, the umpire wil. Infield fly rule the infield fly rule is a simple and common, but occasionally misunderstood part of the game. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not a line drive or bunt that, in the judgment of the umpire, can be caught by an infielder, pitcher, or catcher with ordinary effort and. The asa rulebook defines an infield fly as a fair fly ball, not including a line drive or an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder, pitcher or catcher with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third are occupied with less than two outs. Catching a fly ball in the infield is a much tougher task than catching a fly ball in the outfield for the simple fact that infielders rarely attempt to catch fly balls.
The infield fly rule explained why the infield fly rule is a must. So when the infield fly rule is in affect, a batter is deemed out regardless of whether or not the ball is actually caught. The first one is when there are less than two outs. Aside the common law origins of the infield fly rule the1 infield fly rule 2 is neither a rule of law nor one of equity. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the ball is caught, even if the infielder fails to catch it or drops it on. If a batted ball is deflected by a fielder in fair territory and hits a runner or an umpire while still in flight and then caught by. All portions of this particular page and the pages of the official major league rules book are sole property of major league baseball and have been reproduced without any alteration by baseball almanac who first obtained the written permission of the office of the commissioner. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when. Calling it at the last second literally completely defeats the entire purpose. He intentionally drops the fly ball, picks it up, touches third and then throws to second for a double play. Of all the rules that are in the rulebook, the infield fly rule is perhaps the one thats.
Asa defines an infield fly as a fair fly ball, not including a line drive or an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder, pitcher or catcher with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third bases are occupied with less than two outs. An infield fly is not judged by arbitrary markings on the field, such as the infield grass line. What is the infield fly rule baseball rules explained. The umpire s declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out and all force plays are removed regardless of whether the ball is caught. The infield fly rule dates back to 1894 and is covered under rules 2. An infield fly is a fair ball not including a line drive or an attempted bunt, which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases are occupied before two are out. This is perhaps one of the easiest rules in the book that all too frequently gets overcomplicated. The umpire can retroactively rule the hit as an infield fly although he may not have said anything while the play was in progress.
The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpires judgment, the. The only other instance when the infield fly rule is called is when either runners are on first and second, or the bases are loaded. To understand the logic behind the infield fly rule yes, there is logic behind it, youll have to envision what would happen if it were not in effect. The ball may zigzag, backandforth, between fair and foul ground an. If the umpire fails to call an infield fly on a batted ball that should have been the runners and fielders are expected to know that it is an infield fly and treat it accordingly. If a batted ball is deflected by a fielder in fair territory and hits a runner or an umpire while still in flight and then caught by an infielder it shall not be a catch, but the ball shall remain. Every baseball player needs to know baseball pop fly priorities, i. A wellplayed popup is often an easy out but dont take that for granted. What is the infield fly rule baseball rules explained youtube. The infield fly rule has been around for a long time, actually taking effect way back in 1895.
The ball is not ruled fair or foul, until the ball comes to a stop, is touched by a fielder, or goes past first or third base. The infield fly rule takes effect on a fair fly ball that, in the judgment of the umpire, can be caught by an infielder, pitcher, or catcher with ordinary effort and when there are runners on first and second or first, second, and third and less than two outs. Umps call infield fly rule in padresphillies game deep into. On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infieldernot by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The infield fly rule will only be called under certain conditions. If a fair ball touches an umpire working in the infield after it has bounded past, or over, the pitcher, it is a dead ball. The rule refers mainly to popups, since line drives or weakly hit fly balls that fall to the ground immediately would not allow time for the defense to react fast enough to catch the baserunners offguard. Somewhere back in time, the lords of baseball decided that this wasnt really fair to. So lets suppose that the batter pops the ball up right over the shortstop. If they stay close to their bases, the third base player could choose to let the ball drop and get multiple outs by tagging the runner who was on third, stepping on third base to force out the runner from second, and throwing to second base to force out the runner from first. Baseballs infield fly rule explained lootmeister sports. The infield fly rule protects base runners from the deception of an infielder who may allow an infield fly ball to drop, thus setting up an easy force play. Pitching slab was enlarged to 24 inches by 6 inches. Briefly, by letting the ball fall to the ground the defense could easily make two outs, not one surprisingly, the call of out is in the offensive teams favor.
Other articles where infield fly rule is discussed. Hardy missed a fly going toward lf, and the os end up with three outs. Infield fly rule definition of infield fly rule from. Here is the way major league baseball defines the infield fly. The rule allowing a flat side to a bat was rescinded and the requirement that the bat be round and wholly of hard wood was substituted. Umps call infield fly rule in padresphillies game deep. If the fly ball is coming down close to one of the foul lines, say instead. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out.
The rule was first introduced by the national league in 1895 and only applied with one out. These cover various possibilities that may occur under the rule. Ground balls that bound between home and first, or home and third are a little tricky. Without this rule, infielders would be dropping balls leftandright in order to register forceouts with the existing baserunners. Infield fly rule october 5, 2012 an infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, orfirst, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out.
A girls softball coach breaks down the proper technique for catching a fly ball. Theinfield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. May 07, 2017 while a rare few do fall for hits, an infield fly balls will probably be caught 9597 times out of every 100. The ball is hit high into the air within the infield area. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied before two are out. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second, and third base are occupied before two are. Im talking about the dreaded 2012 nl wild card game, best known as the infield fly rule game. Fly ball rate can be used as a metric to evaluate both hitters and pitchers, although its more frequently used to. On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infieldernot by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass. The rule applies only if both first and second are occupied by runners and there are fewer. An infield fly is any fair fly ball not including a line drive or a bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third base are.
Baseball pop fly priorities every baseball player needs to know baseball pop fly priorities, i. As a pitcher, anytime you can get a hitter to pop up, you have to record the out defensively. The infield fly rule is normally called under two circumstances. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be. Oct 12, 2012 baseball s infield fly rule has sparked more legal fascination than any other rule in sports. Com r2 1b 2b 3b ss lf cf rf atec r2 machine ball path just like ground balls, infield pop flies need to be practiced repeatedly to ensure out are made when it counts. If the catcher drops the ball he wastes that much time in their favor and more if he then fumbles the recovery, which can happen. Oct 05, 2012 the umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpires judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. This being said, the rule not being in place would unfairly place base runners at risk in the infield fly situation.
That wouldnt be very sporting and it would tear at the spirit and essence of the game. The section of the pitch enclosed by the four bases. Official baseball rules, appendix 1, diagram of the playing field. The rule says that an infield fly is a ball that can be caught by an infielder, but that does not mean that it must be caught by an infielder. Drop the infield fly rule part i idle thoughts medium. The rule exists solely to prevent the defense from executing a. The infield fly rule in baseball is a judgement call by the umpire. The umpires judgment must govern, and thedecision should be made immediately. This code of rules governs the playing of baseball games by professional. December 12, 2019 infield fly official baseball rules placing runners rule of the week runners video runner. While mlbs official baseball rules explain what the umpire should call, they wont tell you why.
Last night was the 3 year anniversary of one of the worst calls in atlantasports history. Bats were permitted to be 2 34 inches in diameter and not to exceed 42 inches. A fly ball is a fly to the outfield, while a popup is hit to the infield. Fly ball definition of fly ball by the free dictionary. Oct 06, 2012 series of infield fly or potential infield fly plays duration.
The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpires judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the ball is caught, even if the infielder fails to catch it or drops it on purpose. And, just in case there could be confusion, the rulebook stipulates that the p. Runner advances on infield fly this is a video post. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an. Apr 24, 2017 reading the definition of the infield fly rule straight from the rules book, one can clearly see where the issue can arise. The purpose of the rule is to prevent the defensive team from intentionally dropping or not catching an ordinary infield fly ball with the purpose of trying to turn a double or triple play. Without the infield fly rule, the runners have a dilemma. Explanation of the infield fly rule little league baseball. The ball may zigzag, backandforth, between fair and foul ground an unlimited number of times. Baseball a ball that is batted in a high arc, usually to the outfield.
While 99% of infield fly rule applications are standard, noncontroversial situations the ordinary effort by an infielder portion of the rule is what causes the controversial issues. These softball fielding tips stress keeping both hands high, but not over the head, and bringing down the softball after the catch with soft hands. Wassermans book on the infield fly rule fails to counter an overrated issue. The infield fly rule is a baseball rule intended to prevent the defense from getting a cheap double play by deliberately dropping a fly ball in the infield. The subreddit for the batandball sport played between two teams of nine players. The infield fly rule was put in place to prevent a defensive player from intentionally dropping a pop up in the infield and turning it into an easy double play, or even a triple play. Baseball infield fly rule, umpire communication and mechanics. Particularly at higher levels, a deep infield fly might be taken by an outfielder coming in.
455 979 293 1034 809 51 343 415 1470 1268 1022 458 819 156 275 1430 850 574 1091 567 1272 1494 663 1152 476 534 704 1016 632 730