Infield fly

[Eric F]

Yeh...could be. It would explain his lack of enthusiasm on a force out. Doesn't really explain why he'd feel the need to point fair on a ball touched 15' off the foul line, and wait for the runner (who was standing on 2nd when the ball was dropped) to slide into 3rd before doing it. But it would explain why the defensive coach was so hot under the collar.

Upon further review , I think I'll just assume it was not one of this guy's finest officiating moments, and agree it was an unnecessary and poorly timed fair ball signal rather than a half assed and poorly timed out call.

I stand corrected. Thanks Comocoach!

Confirming...There was no out at 3B. Ump’s signal was for a fair ball.

 

[CoachJD]

This looks like a no-brainer Infield Fly to me. A play can be routine even if a fielder has to move a little to get it. She was camped under the ball after a casual drift (I certainly wouldn't call that running) about 20 feet. Not only that, but the 3B had an even easier play since the ball was maybe 5-7 feet from where she was positioned. There were two infielders for whom that's a play that requires basically no significant effort.

At a decent 14U level, that's a play that should be made, and while Infield Fly isn't designed to give the free out/bail out the defense, I have no idea why it wasn't called almost immediately.

 

[marriard]

Have to be honest, your thoughts on this surprise the heck out of me. I looked at it and thought it was an easy IF call. Shocked that an umpire sees it as borderline. "Twas a no brainer IFly call to me but what do I know? Obviously not as much as I thought!

So a few things.

I thought the umpire signal wasn't a signal at all but him saying he wasn't calling an infield fly as I thought I heard a coach chirping on the side. It didn't look like a 'fair ball' sign to me- sounds like I am wrong here.

Since my first guideline is not going on here - when I look down there is not a fielder who appears to be handling it - now I have to look for a fielder to catch it. And this one is on the run and not exactly looking like she has the best read on it.

Now what is ordinary effort... well it isn't well defined by the rule book. You can take in wind, weather and even sun into account. You can take backpedaling fielders as a factor. You can take the ball drop zone into account (i.e. if it is going to come down in no-mans land) and I can take fielder ability into account. A lot of those are highly subjective and rely on the judgement on the umpire.

I will also say that often as an umpire you sometimes just don't see the popped up ball - just like the catcher often doesn't as well. And while this was a pop up - it wasn't massively high or the SS would have had time to camp underneath it. Now I am catching the potential IFF late and may pick up the ball only when it is getting caught.

Also I am looking at the path the SS took the ball? Did the wind blow this ball back in towardas the infield? It was a very circular path taken to the ball after she looked to be wrong-footed off the bat.

Do I think it is an IFF, Yep I think it looks like ordinary effort at 14U travel. So yes I call it but that is easy to do since I got to watch it a few times before I felt I would. Can I justify the umpire judging it not to be an IFF in real time... Yep. I think I can do that as well.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I’m with marriard in not thinking that it is an automatic IF call. I think it probably should have been called, but the defense worked themselves out of the call.

It should have been an easy ball for F5, who decides to wander off and never even looks at it. Right there should have been the IF call — IF is not about what the defense actually does, but what they should do.

Instead, F6 then goes on the run. She gets there, but had to make a trek to do it. You have ONE umpire (who, as was pointed out, was not very mobile or interested) who likely watched F6 make the pilgrimage to try to make F5’s routine play AND then drop the ball. Based on that, I can see the “no call”.

Not saying I necessarily agree with it, but I get it.

 

[MTR]

Well, you can take whatever you want into consideration, but IMO it isn't that difficult play.

To me, this play was a no-brainer for an IF ruling. The rule doesn't even require an attempt to field the ball, just that they could with ordinary effort.

 

[_MIA_]

Let me put it this way, if my 9 YO DD missed that ball I wouldn't be pleased..

 

[canyonjoe]

I would have called it but I still contend the coach is wrong for arguing that it should have been called when his SS didn't catch the ball. To make matters worse he even got tossed for it.

 

[Bernie]

If that is not an IF we ought to take it out of the rulebook.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[_MIA_]

I would have called it but I still contend the coach is wrong for arguing that it should have been called when his SS didn't catch the ball.

How do you know he wouldn't have asked why it wasn't an IF fly even if she had caught it?

 

[eddieq]

Adult SP game, sky high pop up with bases loaded and 1 out. It's hanging directly over the second baseman. Easy call for an IF and I make it. Out of nowhere, the F6 comes barreling over, calls off F4 and makes a diving catch (I still don't know why he felt he needed to do that). Offensive coach asks for time to come out and ask me why that was an IF when the diving catch was made. I explain that it doesn't matter what the fielders actually did or what effort they made. That could have been caught by F4 with less than ordinary effort and it was as automatic a call as any IF can be. Coaches just like to argue, I suppose.