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The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball and softball 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. The umpire's declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out (and all force plays are removed
May 13, 2019 · Explaining the infield fly rule. The batter swings and pops the pitch up high into the air, over the infield. Multiple fielders gather, but there’s a miscommunication over who is going to catch the ball. Instead, the ball simply drops to the field.
- Andrew Simon
- When Does The Infield Fly Rule Apply?
- Why Is There No Infield Fly Rule with A Runner on First?
- How Do You Call An Infield Fly?
- Do You Have to Tag Up on An Infield Fly?
- Can A Line Drive Be An Infield Fly?
- What Happens If You Drop An Infield Fly?
- Can An Infield Fly Rule Be called on A Foul Ball?
Must be less than 2 outsMust be runners on first and second or the bases must be loadedAn infielder must be able to catch the ball with ordinary effort, or, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire's judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielderThe fly ball cannot be a bunt or a line driveIf there were just a runner on first the only advantage the defensive team would have by letting the ball drop is to get the lead runner out at second. With at least two runners on base subject to a “force play”, the defensive team could potentially record multiple outs, which is what the rule aims to stop.
Due to the infield fly rule being a judgement call by the umpire, it may be called differently depending on game conditions and of course, the umpire that is calling the game. The umpire understands to make the call immediately once they determine the play meets the criteria of the rule, based solely on their judgement.
On a caught infield fly, runners must tag up in order to advance to the next base. This applies the same as with any catch. If the infield fly falls to fair ground untouched, or is touched and dropped, runners do not need to tag-up. However, since the batter is out, the force play on the other runners is removed.
No, a line drive cannot be ruled an infield fly. However, there is another rule in place to ensure that a fielder may not intentionally drop any ball hit in the air to gain a defensive advantage by not catching it; this includes line drives. Therefore, a line drive will not be called an infield fly in any situation.
Regardless of if the ball is caught or not, once the umpire calls infield fly, the batter is out. The ball is still live and base runners are allowed to advance at their own risk. However, there is no longer a force play on the runner(s) and fielders must now tag them out instead of just touching the base.
The infield fly rule ONLY applies to a fair ball. If the ball is dropped or caught in foul territory it is not an infield fly. In the instance a ball appears to be fair and the umpire calls infield fly, once it drifts into foul territory at all, caught or not, it is no longer an infield fly.
- Baseball Monkey
Feb 22, 2020 · The infield fly rule is a unique rule in baseball. It is a rule that is designed to prevent the fielding team from tricking runners and converting a double play or triple play off what should be an easy pop out.
Mar 26, 2023 · An infield fly ball is a normal fly ball that is just popped in the area of the infield or outfield, which is accessible with an ordinary effort by the infielder. However, some primary criteria exist for the infield fly rule to be “ in effect .”
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 occupied, before two men are out.
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Oct 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.
