Infield Fly???

[Rich]

Originally Posted by DG

15-20 feet above ground is not an IFF, it's a soft liner. Intentionally dropped is a dead ball out. Intentionally allowed to land on the ground without being touched is a live ball, play on. There should be no late IFF call on soft liners.

It's an infield fly. 15-20 feet are more than enough to have an IFF.

[mrm21711]

I agree with Rich and have seen it called as an Infield Fly on the MLB & college levels. The fact the ball is on its way down is not relevant, in my opinion.

Anything from J/R or JEA?

[DG]

Opinions vary. There is nothing in J/R or JEA, or any other reference material I am aware of to indicate the suggested height of an IFF.

[mrm21711]

Originally Posted by DG

Opinions vary. There is nothing in J/R or JEA, or any other reference material I am aware of to indicate the suggested height of an IFF.

Is it fair to assume that if a fielder could intentionally drop a fly ball (or a line drive which obviously doesnt apply to the IFR) that would be ordinary effort?

[Dave Hensley]

Remember the purpose of the infield fly rule is to protect the runners and prevent them from being "hung out to dry" on a popup that could be allowed to let fall and then create an easy double play. On the other hand, it's not there to bail out bad baserunning.

An infield fly call in this situation would not have mattered; the reason R2 was out was because he was running on the pitch. He would have been doubled off with or without an infield fly call.

If the flare was headed right to an infielder so that it was clearly a makeable catch, I'm probably going to call the infield fly to give the runners the protection the rule is intended to give them.

The other end of the stick - not calling an infield fly and then runners don't know what to do and the fielder might let it fall and try for the DP - is way too much Keystone-cops style baseball for my tastes.

[jwwashburn]

I was taught to ask myself (in my head...not out loud or folks might find out I was a tad askew) Is that an infield fly? I have found that this works pretty well in determining which one to call.

Joe

[DG]

If an infielder does not catch a flare (liner 10-15 above ground), the ball is likely in the outfield and no chance for an out, much less two. I don't see any reason to interject an IFF call on this.