Everything you always wanted to know about the infield fly. It was definitely a brain fart on my end, and costly. 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. The infield shall be graded so that the base lines and home plate are. While mlb s official baseball rules explain what the umpire should call, they wont tell you why. The original video on the infield fly rule had some confusing sections, hopefully this one will correct them. 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.
Runners on 1b and 2b or bases loaded and fewer than 2. Baseball rule change timeline the rules have evolved from the original knickerbocker rules in 1845, to the first set of national league rules in 1877. 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. Infield fly rule call mars cardinalsbraves wildcard game the cardinals just beat the braves in the firstever national league wildcard game, but it will go down in history for a different reason. Few rules in major league baseball provide such a captivating history as that of.
The infield fly rule was established to prevent infielders from purposely securing more than one out for their team. The infield fly rule is designed to keep a defense from intentionally dropping a ball they should have caught simply to induce a double or triple play. 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. By automatically declaring the batter out in this situation, the force is automatically removed on the runners, thus allowing them to stay on their bases with confidence that they wont be doubled off. Outfield fly rule atlanta braves through thick and thin. 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. 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. 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. Since those years, some major changes and rule additions have taken place and baseball almanac has, hopefully, listed them into an easy to understand timeline. Before we get into the weeds, let us first internalize the actual rule in question. However, it is against the rules to intentionally drop something after letting it hit your glove. 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 when there are runners on first and second or first, second, and third and less than two outs. If, in an infield fly situationmen on first and second or bases loaded with less than two out the umpire does not make the call, theorically the infield fly rule still applies. The infield fly rule can be called when three conditions are met.
Hardy missed a fly going toward lf, and the os end up with three outs. The rule exists solely to prevent the defense from executing a. Reading the definition of the infield fly rule straight from the rules book, one can clearly see where the issue can arise. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to call infield fly rule no infield fly was called as j. The infield fly rule was the subject of an article in a u. Aug 12, 20 if a declared infield fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an infield fly. The play is then called dead, and the hitter is out regardless of whether any fielder actually makes the catch or not. The umpires declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out regardless of whether the ball is caught. The infield fly rule is the most misunderstood rule in baseball and perhaps in all of sports. A fly ball catchable with ordinary effort in major league baseball might not be in a junior. 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 infield fly rule denotes that a hitter is out if a fly ball is hit in the infield, there are less than two outs, and runners are on base. A batter is out on a batted ball, fair or foul, if caught on the fly or after one bounce. 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.
Particularly at higher levels, a deep infield fly might be taken by an outfielder coming in. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in. The infield fly rule is intended to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping popups in order to turn double plays or triple plays. If a declared infield fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an infield fly. 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. Little league coaches struggle to understand it, and the rule has even mystified professional managers at times. The first one is when there are less than two outs. 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. Once at a game, i would sit with my ball glove on my left hand and the score book on top of the glove, pencil in my right hand, keeping score. If you didnt know, 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 when there are runners on first and second or first, second, and third and less than two outs.
Everything you always wanted to know about the infield fly rule. Time to drop the infield fly rule and end a common law anomaly. But beyond criticism of this specific call, some fans on twitter and in web forums expressed a deeper distaste for the infield fly rule itself, questioning whether it is. The infield fly rule only calls the batter automatically out, it doesnt rule that the ball is automatically caught, so the runner can advance if the ball isnt caught without needing to tag up. 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. Here is the way major league baseball defines the infield fly. Major league baseball rules timeline by baseball almanac. When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an infield fly, the umpire shall immediately declare infield fly for the benefit of the runners. Major league baseball advanced media mlbam was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the internet. It was held at turner field in atlanta, on october 5, 2012, at 5. The article was humorous but also insightful on how common law related to codified regulation of behavior. Thats why this rule is in the book to protect the baserunners. 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. A baseball rule change timeline by baseball almanac.
The rule exists solely to prevent the defense from executing a double play or triple play by deliberately failing to catch a ball that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort. The ball is hit high into the air within the infield area. 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. The infield fly rule explained why the infield fly rule is a must. Infield fly rule the infield fly rule is a simple and common, but occasionally misunderstood part of the game. Of all the rules that are in the rulebook, the infield fly rule is perhaps the one thats the most difficult for people to visualize. I recently asked a coach of a major league, pennantcontending team to estimate how many players on his team know the nuances of the infield fly rule. Im talking about the dreaded 2012 nl wild card game, best known as the infield fly rule game.
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. The infield fly rule in baseball is a judgement call by the umpire. In defense of baseballs infield fly rule the atlantic. To begin, the rule can only come into effect when the following conditions are met. When the umpire judges that a batted ball meets the infield fly rule, he calls out infield fly, batters out. Infield fly rule definition of infield fly rule from. Discussion of the infield fly rule in little league. The official playing rules committee made the following changes that will be in effect for the 20 season. It worked and only once did i need to drop the score book in order to attempt to catch a foul ball i missed it, for what it is worth. What is the infield fly rule and why do they have it.
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. Major league coach estimates only 50% of big leaguers know. The infield and outfield, including the boundary lines, are fair terri tory and all other area. Drawing on interviews with experts, legal arguments and a study of every infieldfly play in eight major league seasons, this book tells the complete story of the rule. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to. Infield fly rule call mars cardinalsbraves wildcard game. Aug 11, 2012 the infield fly rule is intended to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping popups in order to turn double plays or triple plays. Rundown of how rule came into play in cardinals vs. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the. Feb 20, 20 major league baseballs official playing rules committee has opted to alter baseballs definition of the infield fly rule following a contested play late in the 2012 season that baffled. Mlb modifies infield fly rule in wake of confusing play.
An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an. 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. Visit our frequently asked questions section to find solutions for your issues. I felt terrible about it, but, hey, ive got wipe it off and come back today. 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. It drove the long time voice of the braves batty, which is exactly why fans continued to. Without this rule, a defense could easily turn a popup into a double play when there are runners at first and second base. Umps call infield fly rule on simmons popup youtube. Dec 03, 2012 the original video on the infield fly rule had some confusing sections, hopefully this one will correct them. A copy of this article may be downloaded in adobe acrobat format.
Major league baseball consists of 30 teams split between the american and national. This is perhaps one of the easiest rules in the book that all too frequently gets overcomplicated. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule. 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. The rule is there to protect the runners, not the defense, so the defense still needs to. Last night was the 3 year anniversary of one of the worst calls in atlantasports history. Runner on third, one out, batter hits fly ball to the out field on which. Andy harris and matt chrietzberg dive into the braves minor leagues. Because it is applied infrequently and is somewhat technical, the infield fly rule has an exaggerated reputation for being difficult to understand. 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.
I think its actually not an infield fly cause it wasnt high enough. We want to bring you the most uptodate, informative and exciting baseball information. Another oddity is the infield flys rule book contemporaries. Major league baseballs official playing rules committee has opted to alter baseballs definition of the infield fly rule following a contested play late in the 2012 season that baffled. In that case, the infield fly rule could conceivably be called if an infielder misses a catchable ball. If this happens there is probavbly going to be a goatroping players and coaches are supposed to know the rules. The 2012 national league wild card game was a playin game during major league baseballs mlb 2012 postseason played between the national leagues nl two wild card teams, the st. Oct 06, 2012 before we get into the weeds, let us first internalize the actual rule in question. What is the infield fly rule baseball rules explained. Bravescardinals wild card game infield fly rule explained with 28yr mlb umpire jim. Mar 24, 2015 once at a game, i would sit with my ball glove on my left hand and the score book on top of the glove, pencil in my right hand, keeping 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 with ordinary effort, when. Oct 06, 2012 what is the infield fly rule in baseball. 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. Series of infield fly or potential infield fly plays. My interpretation of the mlb rule is that the batted ball is treated like a caught flyball whether the ball is caught or not, so the runners must retouch their base before advancing.
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. Case book material is printed in smaller type than the rule language and is labeled as comment. At least once a week during skips callin show, some fan would ask him about the infield fly rule. Everyone knows the basic requirements for an infield fly. Mar 10, 2020 a few important points about the infield fly rule. Oct 05, 2012 the comment in the baseball rule book that accompanies the explanation of the rule is whats most pertinent in tonights case. The comment in the baseball rule book that accompanies the explanation of the rule is whats most pertinent in tonights case.
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. Oct 12, 2012 but beyond criticism of this specific call, some fans on twitter and in web forums expressed a deeper distaste for the infield fly rule itself, questioning whether it is necessary, wise, or warranted. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder. Infield fly rule,12 an outdated rule of baseball whose time must end. Series of infield fly or potential infield fly plays youtube. The rule applies only if both first and second are occupied by runners and there are fewer. 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. The infield fly rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in the game of baseball. An infield fly is not judged by arbitrary markings on the field, such as the infield grass line.
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