[sbatten]

ASA Men's Slowpitch. Recreational level of play -- some stars mixed in with Bubba from the bar.

No outs, R1 on 2B, R2 on 1B. B3 hits a high pop that off the bat looks like it's going to medium-depth left field, but in fact F6 is able to run back about 20-30 feet into outfield grass and get under it as F7 is charging in for the catch.

As the ball is coming down, I'm thinking to myself, "This is not routine effort, I'm not calling Infield Fly Rule." F6 did get under it, but he had to travel a long way, and he wasn't looking super secure as it was coming down.

Though F6 was under it, the ball dropped untouched, possibly because F6 was distracted by the approach of F7. (In retrospect, F7 probably would have been able to make that catch with routine effort because he was not starting deep and it was a can of corn.) The ball bounced, F7 picked it up and fired toward 3B, but F5 didn't make the catch. Everyone advanced one base, everyone safe.

As I'm getting ready for the next batter, F6 asks why I didn't call Infield Fly Rule. I explain that in my judgment at the time, I didn't think it was a ball that was catchable with routine effort by an infielder (i.e. him). He complains that he was camped under it and should have been given the benefit of my assuming it was an easily catchable ball, but I told him that I didn't see it that way.

Now I'm wondering if I should have called IFR, either when I saw that F6 was able to get under it, or after the fact.

I know IFR is to protect the offense, not give the defense an automatic out on any popup in the vicinity of the infield. But I'm asking for a second opinion because maybe you experienced umpires have run across similar situations and felt comfortable making a different call than I did.

This is an umpire judgment -- and you had to be there -- but I would appreciate any thoughts, including constructive suggestions for how to improve.

Scott

P.S. I also remember the famous IFR call on an analogous situation in an MLB wildcard game a few years ago, and that might have even been on my mind when I stuck with my original no-call despite F6 making his best case that I should have called it.