infield fly rule question
 

Runners on 1st and 2nd 0 outs. Pop up to ss, umpire calls and signals "infield fly, batter is out". When are the runners "free"to advance" and do they need to tag up?

thanks. Basic question I know. Was at my sons game and it was called different than I thought. the case book and rules book dont mention this (at least I didnt find it)

Thanks:confused:

Just like any other fly ball that may or not be caught. If fly ball is caught, the runner(s) can advance at their own risk after the ball is touched and the runner(s) has tagged the base at TOP. If the fly ball is not caught, the runner(s) may advance at any time at their own risk.

Search Infield fly rule
 

Run at your own risk, batter is out, if fair. Yes, if caught, runners must retouch before advancing to next base.

Allowing the ball to fall to the ground, before being touched does not remove IFR in effect.

Assuming Official Baseball Rules: (I've highlighted the pertinent part.)

An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted
bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.

When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare “Infield Fly” for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare “Infield Fly, if Fair.”

The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul.

If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.

Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder—not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if,
in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire’s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.

When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05(l).
The infield fly rule takes precedence.

No casebook needed. Basically, except for the fact that the batter is out regardless of whether or not the ball is caught, it is the same as any fly ball. So the runners can leave when they would on any fly ball.

They do not need to tag up unless the ball is caught. (But why would they advance?)

Rita

No No! The tag-up must be at (or after) the time the ball is touched by the fuielder.

I saw this situation 10 years ago in a state championship game in legion baseball and the communication between the umpires was HORIBLE. The batter popped up just off the infield grass and the infield fly was called so the batter out. Ball was not caught so the runners advanced and the ball was thrown to 2nd base. No tag was applied and the 2nd base ump(4 umpire system) called the runner out on the force play. Said runner gets up and is going back to the dugout thinking he is 2nd out when he is tagged and called out by the 3rd base umpire for the 3rd out and the game ends as it os nit eh bottom of the 11th inning and the team at bat was down 1 run. Because the umpires failed to communicate properly said team lost A CHANCE to tie the game with the next batter. Resulted in one of the longes and loudest rubahrbs I have ever heard at a baseball game. Losing team basically accused the umps of incompetence in failing to communicate and as a result we are being penalized because YOU(The umpires) screwed up. I was broadcasting this game and took me until the drive home to figure out the very very basics of what happened.

It looks as if a rule was not applied correctly. The offended manager should have protested. As much his fault as any ones.

Joel

I'm sure he meant "tagged the base occupied at TOP."

Then he should have said it. There are many lurkers and we don't want them to misunderstand the rule now do we - they might yell bad things at you at a game if they don't.

One runner getting called out twice? He must have been really, really out!

Seriously, though, FED rules explicitly allow the umpires to fix this, put everyone back, and continue the game. (10-2-3L)

But if I correct someone's terminology, you tell me that I knew what they meant and to shut up. Can't have it both ways.

Yes he can. He's a coach.

Rich being Rich :)

We were playing OBR which is what legiuon ball uses. And yes the trhow beat him to the bag and the 2nd base ump ruled him out on the force not realiznig the infield fly had been called and the ball had dropped uncaught so the runner was advancing at his own risk. He wsan't tagged when he went into 2nd base. But not knowing the infield fly rule was called and thinking he was called out on the force is why he left the base. Personally, I think the umps knew they screwed the call up roally and were to embarassed to rectify the situation which would have meant admitting they kicked a very imprtant call at the worst possible time. Of course I could be wrong with the OBR.(Call happened in the bottom of the 11th innnig. Team at bat trailing 5-4 and 1 out when the situation occured. Infield fly was 2nd out and runner tagged out after thinking he was the 2nd out on the force was the 3rd out. This was also the championship game of the State tourney and it was winner take all as the tourney was(and still is) double elimination and both teams had 1 loss)

It wasn't the terminology he got wrong. It was the requirement. Significant difference.

YOU may know, or think you know, what he meant, but the lurkers will just see the wrong requirement. Not good.

You've been turing into a real something-or-other lately - feeling OK?

the ONLY difference between an infield fly and a regular fly ball is that the batter is out

And a key point that some umpires forget to understand is that once the batter is declared out on an infield fly, all plays on the bases are tag plays. Once the batter is out, all force outs are removed.

You forgot to mention there should at least be runners at 1B & 2B, and less than two outs.

Runners advance at their own risk.

Not quite true. 7.08f

I was umpiring a youth game recently (U11) and the coach for the defensive team was not only an umpire, but a board member and the assignor for his association. (Later was told over 30 years experience)

0 outs with R1 and R2. Fly ball hit between F5 and F6 and both start to merge to it. F6 is camped under it as my partner and I are signalling infield fly. At the last second F5 reaches over to catch the ball as is F6. Ball ends up dropping to the ground.

3rd base coach rightfully starts yelling to his players to stay put that it was an infield fly. R2 listens, but R1 does not and we end up having both standing on 2nd base. F5 picks up the baseball, tags third, then throws to F4 at second. F4 tags R2 who is on the base (so we have a safe call) and R1 starts running back to 1st. F4 then starts to chase R1 back to 1st and we have a run down. R1 is eventually called out heading into 1st for being out of the basepath.

3rd base coach calls timeout and I think he is going to argue runner out of the basepath but he just wants an explanation as the defense is yelling they just turned a triple play. I explain it to him, he says ok, then I have the defense come out. This is when our fellow umpire friend royally screws the pooch. He wants a triple play called as according to him the first out is the infield fly, the second out was the force at 3rd, then the 3rd out was the out of the basepath at 1st. Tried to explain it to him, but he was adamant that he was right. Then he becomes personal and can not figure out why he was ejected haha. Just goes to show you that some doing our profession do not know all they think they do.

I don’t agree that the issue you make is “HORIBLE” umpire communications. A “No catch!” by the appropriate umpire would have been nice, but it is not required. The problem is that U2 called out an unforced runner without a tag.

There may be no worse nightmare for a base coach.

More correctly, because said runner no longer was in contact with his acquired base and was tagged with a live ball, “…said team lost A CHANCE to tie the game with the next batter.”

We, too, are often wronged because YOU (the announcers) screw up.

I’ll hazard a guess that the umpires had it figured out sooner than that.

Yeah, I've been defending you on the boards for your vast knowledge of the rules, giving you many compliments, etc. I'm really turning into a something or other. Oh, I'm feeling pretty good considering I just had heart surgery last month.

"Coach, how can R2 be forced if the BR is out on the IFF?"

Sounds like 1 year's experience 30 times to me.

you are correct. forgot about that

Wasn't a transplant from a coach, was it? :rolleyes: :D

JJ

The arguement was by the coach. I pulled my OBR book(always carried one) and tried to figure out what in the blazes was going on.

HA! No, my body would have rejected it!:D

It was merely an aortic valve replacement. Now I have to get a pacemaker this week. The fun never ends. Once I recover from this, I should be back on the field by the September adult ball season.

Rich, it seems to me that you misread nopachunts' post:

The phrase you highlighted needs to be read together with the part before it, especially, "the runner(s) can advance at their own risk after the ball is touched." No, it wasn't absolutely clear, but I'm pretty sure CT1 had it right:

To RI and CT1,
I did mean the base occupied at TOP and the base tagged after the IFF is touched. My bad for not making myself more clear.