Infield Fly

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Illini_Ref

Bases loaded, one out.

Infield is shallow. Batter pops a ball into very shallow CF. CF lets it drop and turns two.

Should infield fly have been called. I know that an outfielder can catch an infield fly, but doesn't an infielder still have to be in position to make the catch with reasonable effort.

I've seen it argued that if the ball being allowed to drop is an advantage to the defense, then IF should be called.

No.

Incorrect.

The test of whether to call IFF is given right there in the rule: whether an infielder could catch the ball with ordinary effort. And it matters where they start: if the infield is in and the ball is in short CF, then it's unlikely that an infielder could catch it with ordinary effort.