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Originally Posted by SAump
A soft flair and line drive may be legally turned into a double play because it doesn't call for an IFR. Runners are at risk if baseball is caught and they fail to retouch or are forced to advance on a quick one-hopper, or two. That's how the game is played and why the approved ruling exists. The defense keeps its opportunity to turn the 5-4-3 DP.
However, runners are protected if the ball is touched in the air and then dropped. Again the purpose is to protect the offense from defensive posturing; such as stopping the ball on the back side of the glove and allowing it to fall, only to pick it right up for an easy DP. Likewise, IFR is one up on 6.05.l because it acknowledges that most fielders camp underneath the fly ball 96% of the time. Those 4% who don't are either too late (2%) or too lazy (giving it 2%).
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When I read the Approved Ruling in 6.05.l, I have always assumed it's there because people have mistakingly tried to rule a fly ball that was deliberately allowed to fall untouched the same as a deliberately dropped fly ball. From personal experience, I have seen this. Several times in the last couple years I've have variants of the following happen (with R1 and either a hump-back liner or a slow B/R):
COACH: But Blue! He let the fly drop on purpose so he could get the double play!
ME: Yes, you're right; he didn't touch it before it 'dropped'.
COACH: That's a dropped fly ball! They should only get one out!!!
ME: No, it's not.
COACH: But you just said he dropped it!
ME: No, letting it drop untouched is not dropping it. You have to touch it to drop it. Let's play.
COACH stands confused and flabbergasted that his well-reasoned argument didn't save him an out.
Has this scenario happened to others? I find it extremely ironic that a coach who knows about the dropped-fly rule would not know the definition of a dropped fly (especially since the Approved Ruling makes it very clear).