Infield Fly

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Nov 22, 2016
57
8
Question with some help interpretation of the rule.
Bases were loaded infield was playing at medium depth ( 2nd baseman was about 5 to 8 feet behind the baseline ) ball was popped up in the air and the 2nd baseman took 3 normal steps back to make a play on the ball.
When the attempt was made to catch the ball she dropped the ball and all runners were able to advance safely.
After the play was over we asked the plate umpire why the infield fly rule wasn't called and his response was that the defense was not a normal playing depth which caused it to not be a normal routine fly ball.

My question is
Does the infield have to be a normal depth on the play in order for the rule to be inforced?
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
Question with some help interpretation of the rule.
Bases were loaded infield was playing at medium depth ( 2nd baseman was about 5 to 8 feet behind the baseline ) ball was popped up in the air and the 2nd baseman took 3 normal steps back to make a play on the ball.
When the attempt was made to catch the ball she dropped the ball and all runners were able to advance safely.
After the play was over we asked the plate umpire why the infield fly rule wasn't called and his response was that the defense was not a normal playing depth which caused it to not be a normal routine fly ball.

My question is
Does the infield have to be a normal depth on the play in order for the rule to be inforced?

what age group was this? If its over 12 then anything a middle fielder can generally get to would be normal effort to me, even if it means getting to the grass to make the play. Was there a second ump there?

I am sure someone with more knowledge of the rules then I have will be around soon, but I don't recall where starting position for the fielder is mentioned in the rule. Especially when the positioning left the fielder within 3 steps of making the play. I might think it was different if say the third baseman was way in to guard against a bunt and the ball was popped up behind her bag and neither she or the SS could get to the spot, but obviously in your scenario getting to the ball wasn't an issue.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Nothing about playing depth of the infield in any rule set for infield fly. It's an umpire judgement call on how "routine" the play is. You said that the ball was hit in the air. How high in the air, and was the catch, had it been made, really "ordinary effort"? If the fielder had time to get back and settle under the ball, that's a good indicator for "routine". If they were running with an outstretched arm trying to grab a "bloop", that's a base hit. I've seen some terrible infield fly outs called on fly balls that were anything but routine...fly balls into the short OF with fielders running full-speed to get there and the ball still falls between them. The intent of the rule is to protect the offense from a gamed double/triple play, not generate a cheap out for the defense.
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
The fielders don't have to be a normal depth (whatever that means) for rule to be enforced. However, where they are playing does affect the call. If they are playing in a popup that might be called if they are back might no longer be routine.
 
Mar 1, 2016
195
18
That umpire screwed up. The play you described sounded more routine and more like an infield fly than one I witnessed last weekend in 18U. Bases loaded, 1 out, infielders playing at about the same depth you described in your play. In our case, the “pop up” was a lazy fly ball to right center, landing on the grass about 20 feet from the dirt. Our 2B turned and burned and still had no chance at it. Runners were advancing because it was an easy read for them that this was a base hit, but since HP umpire called infield fly, it was an easy double up at 2B for the CF to end the inning. Every fan, parent, college coach, and casual observer in the stands knew the umpire screwed up, but the play stood. Not sure how our CF heard the HP umpire call it but the base runners didn’t. Yes, it worked in our favor. Yes, we agreed that it was the wrong call. No, there wasn’t anything that anyone could do about it.

Our girls were able to pull it off because they had the experience to know they should finish the play no matter what an umpire does or doesn’t call. They know that umpires can screw up calls sometimes because they’re human. They have learned how to deal with it. Sounds like this is a teaching/learning opportunity for your kiddos so they don’t fall victim to such tomfoolery in the future.


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Last edited:
Feb 13, 2015
164
18
That umpire screwed up. The play you described sounded more routine and more like an infield fly than one I witnessed last weekend in 18U. Bases loaded, 1 out, infielders playing at about the same depth you described in your play. In our case, the “pop up” was a lazy fly ball to right center, landing on the grass about 20 feet from the dirt. Our 2B turned and burned and still had no chance at it. Runners were advancing because it was an easy read for them that this was a base hit, but since HP umpire called infield fly, it was an easy double up at 2B for the CF to end the inning. Every fan, parent, college coach, and casual observer in the stands knew the umpire screwed up, but the play stood. Not sure how our CF heard the HP umpire call it but the base runners didn’t. Yes, it worked in our favor. Yes, we agreed that it was the wrong call. No, there wasn’t anything that anyone could do about it.

Our girls were able to pull it off because they had the experience to know they should finish the play no matter what an umpire does or doesn’t call. They know that umpires can screw up calls sometimes because they’re human. They have learned how to deal with it. Sounds like this is a teaching/learning opportunity for your kiddos so they don’t fall victim to such tomfoolery in the future.


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TexAg1998, help me understand how you got the 2nd out. I know the batter is out from the IF rule call, but are you saying the call helped you get a runner out?

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Mar 1, 2016
195
18
TexAg1998, help me understand how you got the 2nd out. I know the batter is out from the IF rule call, but are you saying the call helped you get a runner out?

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The call didn’t necessarily help the girls get the 2nd out (or 3rd out of the inning if you want to look at it that way). The call just produced an out that wasn’t. The runners were doing what they should have when they saw the ball in the air. You know, slight hesitation from the runner at 1B to read it, then she goes when she knows it’s a hit. CF plays it as if there’s no infield fly call, fields it clean, throws to 2B, SS applies the tag in time to get the out. The only difference between this and the way the girls would have played it as a force (if no infield fly was called) is the tag. Had infield fly not been called, the play would have resulted in an out at 2B anyway, ending with a run scoring and runners at 1B and 3B with 2 outs. Also, the the call turned it into a timing play and no runs scored because the out at 2B was recorded before any runner crossed the plate. Apparently the runner at 3B was the only runner who heard HP umpire call it, and she stayed put. I know it’s kind of confusing, and we were all dumbfounded in the stands, had to talk about it amongst ourselves to figure out exactly how badly the umpire blew it. Even the three college coaches in the row just in front of me said they had never seen the infield fly rule applied so poorly and resulting in a subsequently inning-ending out like that.


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Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
I have always thought there should be a way for the Offense to make the call like a fair catch in football. I'm not sure how it would be done, but it seems since the rule is there to protect the Offense they should be able to determine when it's applied.
 

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