ckoplien@todaystmj4.com
Daughter #2, Amanda, had her first softball game of the summer last night.
For whatever reason, there were an unusually high number of situations in which the Infield Fly Rule was called. Each time it was called exactly right...the umpire did a very nice job with it.
Explaining the rule to the girls was, well, challenging. These are girls who are 12-13-14...and they have a pretty good idea about softball. Still, many older kids (and adults!) who have been playing/watching baseball/softball for years and years don't really get it.
So, allow me to explain.
(This is the point at which, if you couldn't care less, you should feel free to surf to some other website. I won't take it personally. Come on back tomorrow!)
Let's start with the intent of the rule:
The idea is to keep players from purposely dropping popups in order to get easy double or triple plays.
For example, let's say there are runners on 1st & 2nd and the batter hits a popup to the third baseman. Knowing the third baseman will likely make an easy catch, the runners stay at 1st & 2nd. But then the clever third baseman allows the ball to drop on purpose. She/he can then quickly pick up the ball, step on 3rd and throw to 2nd for 2 easy force outs...a double play.
Baseball rule-makers decided this was unfair gamesmanship, and therefore in 1895 developed the Infield Fly Rule.
The rule states that when, in the umpire's judgment, a fair fly ball can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, the batter is automatically out...whether the ball is eventually caught or not.
The rule only applies when there are fewer than 2 out and only when there are runners at 1st & 2nd or 1st & 2nd & 3rd.
By immediately calling the batter out, even before the ball is caught or dropped, the force is removed. That is, the runners on base do not have to run.
If the ball does get caught, the runners probably wouldn't/shouldn't have run anyway, and remain safely at their bases.
If the ball is dropped, the runners aren't at risk of (probably) being easily forced out at the base they would have to advance to. They can take off and move to the next base when the ball hits the ground...but they don't have to.
Immediately after judging that a fair fly ball is catch able by an infielder with ordinary effort, the umpire should yell "Infield fly, the batter's out" loud enough fall all to hear.
Interestingly, the ball doesn't even need to be on the infield. The Infield Fly Rule applies even if the fair fly ball carries into the outfield, but still can, in the umpire's judgment, be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort.
Even if an outfielder ultimately catches the ball, if an infielder could have made the play, the Infield Fly Rule still applies.
By the way, the rule only applies to batted, fair fly balls. It does not apply to line drives or bunts.
Also, noteworthy, the catcher and pitcher count as infielders for the purposes of the Infield Fly Rule, as would an outfielder if she/he were positioned on the infield at the start of the play.
The bottom line is this...
...when the Infield Fly Rule is called, and the ball is caught, runners must tag-up in order to advance, just like in any other fly ball situation...
...and...
...if the ball is dropped, runners can advance if they want to, but they DO NOT HAVE TO.
There you go.
Next time we'll go over what a balk is.
