Infield fly is called, but no infield fly at this level -- what then?

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Jun 28, 2016
34
6
NJ
Bases loaded, nobody out, girl pops the ball straight up between the pitcher and the catcher. Umpire immediately yells "infield fly!"

Here's the problem... it was a 10U game, no infield fly rule. Coaches had specifically talked about it with the umpire before the game started, but I get it -- he umps at multiple levels, each one with its own rules. He probably has done 1,000 high school games this month and in the heat of the moment forgot it was 10U... it happens.

So now everyone is yelling, ball drops untouched of course, right between the pitcher and catcher, and rolls. Third base coach tells runner on 3rd "get back!" because he heard "infield fly".

Meanwhile the coach on defense is screaming "Get the ball! Step on the plate!" Catcher eventually picks it up in foul territory and steps on home plate. Umpire says the runner on 3rd is forced out.

But now the coach on offense asks -- no one touched the ball until it was in foul territory, shouldn't it be a foul ball? Ump said no, because when he called "infield fly", the fielder didn't make the attempt to catch the ball. If she had made an attempt to catch it, even if she dropped it, it would have been in fair territory, as the ball clearly landed in fair territory and then rolled foul. However, couldn't the team at bat argue that, the same way the umpire prevented the fielder from making a play by yelling infield fly, he also prevented the runner on 3rd from making an attempt to run home?

I was just a dad watching while waiting for my own game to start so I don't have a horse in the race but I thought it was an unusual situation.

Can the ump just say "do over" when something like this happens?
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
That's a tough one. I think blue had to assume that since there is no IFF in this division, nothing he could say about it would have affected the fielders and their ability to catch the ball. But if there is no IFF, and the ball rolls into foul territory inside of the baselines without being touched, that is by definition a foul ball.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
There's a lot going on here, but we can ignore most of it because the umpire blew the call in one key way: That should be a foul ball.

From the Official Baseball Rules (I assume softball is the same here):
If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball.
 
Sep 14, 2011
768
18
Glendale, AZ
There is no rule basis for a "do over" in this situation.

You are probably correct in that the umpire forgot the "no infield fly" rule for this particular game at that moment. It happens.

I think the best thing to do here is to declare the ball foul and reset everything. Not exactly a do-over, but about as close as you could get.
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
How did calling infield fly prevent the runner from 3rd from running home? You don't have to tag up unless they catch the ball.

I can't blame the umpire too much on calling it. These guys ump all kinds of games so they sometimes forget which league rules they are playing. I do blame him for not call it a foul ball. It doesn't matter if the fielder tried to catch it or not it only matters if they touched it.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
"Infield fly, IF FAIR", is the correct call when using the IFF rule. Regardless, it wasn't touched until it rolled foul, so it's a FOUL BALL. He screwed up twice.

Had the ball stayed fair, the best thing to do would have been let the "infield fly" call stand. In this bases loaded situation, either the batter or the lead runner would have been out. Bases still loaded, one out, play ball.

The IFF fly call does not prevent the fielders from making a catch, or the runners from moving, so neither coach has much of an argument. All it does is remove the pressure on the runners to move IF the ball drops.
 
Last edited:

MTR

Jun 22, 2008
3,438
48
Screwed up the resolution, but on the initial call, that's what happens when you mess with the rules.
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
Regardless of the inadvertent calling of iff, its a foul ball. The ump kicked the can on this one and when he was given a way out of his mistake he doubled down by not calling it foul.
 

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