Infield Fly redux

[Tru_in_Blu]

I searched some old posts and got some opinions on the following IF situation. I serve as the UIC for the particular league helping with their bylaws and rule interpretations. It is a company intramural modified league that does not allow bunting or stealing and otherwise utilizes the ASA rule set. Regular season games are 1 umpire games. Playoff games utilize 2 umpires. This happened in the first week of playoffs.

Visitors at bat in top of 7th trailing 8-5. They have runners on first and second with no outs. Batter hits a popup toward F3 who needs to backpedal a couple of steps. BU (who was in "B" because we utilize SP mechanics for these games) points toward the ball. PU did not call IF at the ball's apex, but did make the IF call in a low voice a few feet before the ball hit the fielder's glove.

F3 had the ball bounce off his glove while in fair territory. R2, not having heard an IF call then took off for 2B. When he was almost there, he saw R1 had not left the base. The throw to someone covering 2B motivated R1 to break for 3B. R2 was then tagged out and a subsequent play on R1 retired him off the base. This was ruled a triple play by the PU and ended the game.

Some background:
This field is very close to a major highway with maybe a couple hundred yards of light forest as a buffer. There is a lot of road noise.
The PU has had previous issues/complaints regarding IF such as not calling it at all, or calling it very late.
First base coach and on deck batter said they both heard the IF call, but that it was very late and not very loud.
BU confirmed the call was very late and that he did hear it primarily because he was waiting for it after signaling to the PU.
Umpires got together, but the play stood.
The losing team considered protesting the game, but apparently decided not to.

Had there been a protest I would rule that the umpire(s) placed the base runners in jeopardy. I'd rule the batter out on the IF and return the runners to first and second base.

Comments?

[CecilOne]

An IF applies no matter when or how it is called.
Players/coaches are supposed to know the rule, as apparently R1 did.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

...Had there been a protest I would rule that the umpire(s) placed the base runners in jeopardy...

How? No call was reversed, and the call was not delayed (The time between apex and "a few feet before the ball hit the fielder's glove" is not a delayed call in my view).

If the PU signaled the IF, then he made the call. These runners have coaches. The umpire is not required to bellow to be heard above the crowd noise, passing trains, overhead airliners, jake brakes, etc... Deal with past complaints regarding the umpire in evaluations and future assignments. They are irrelevant to this game.

[AtlUmpSteve]

My opinion:

1) It was a clear IFR situation; and the rule applies whether called or verbalized or not.
2) R1 clearly understood he didn't need to run, thus recognized it was IFR; he ran later only because he thought R2 had forced a play, and if you start a snowball fight, you may get better results than standing there to get tagged out.
3) Offense gets two base coaches who are expected to tell the runners when to run and when not to run. Umpires aren't responsible if coaches and/or runners don't know what to do.

My conclusion is that a loud, clear, and appropriately timed call probably wouldn't have changed a thing, that once F3 dropped the ball, R2 would have (stupidly) run anyway. There was no jeopardy; the coaches and runners needed to know, call was made prior to needing to make a decision to run or not if ball was dropped, needed to do the right thing, but they (collectively) did the wrong thing. No way I bail them out from THEIR mistake. The play (THEIR play) stands.

[Tru_in_Blu]

Thanx for the replies so far.

From an older case study file I have, I found the following:

PLAY 8.2-35
With one out and R1 on 2B, R2 on 1B, B3 hits an apparent infield fly. The umpire does not call "infield fly." The fly ball is not caught and in the confusion, both R1 and R2 are tagged off base resulting in three outs.
RULING: The infield fly should have been in effect. Failure of the umpire to invoke the infield fly place the runner in jeopardy. This is correctable by calling the batter out and returning the runners to their respective bases (8-2l; 10-3C)
Has this interpretation been changed? While this case play was not identical to the OP play, it's similarity is relevant.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

Thanx for the replies so far.

From an older case study file I have, I found the following:

PLAY 8.2-35
With one out and R1 on 2B, R2 on 1B, B3 hits an apparent infield fly. The umpire does not call "infield fly." The fly ball is not caught and in the confusion, both R1 and R2 are tagged off base resulting in three outs.
RULING: The infield fly should have been in effect. Failure of the umpire to invoke the infield fly place the runner in jeopardy. This is correctable by calling the batter out and returning the runners to their respective bases (8-2l; 10-3C)
Has this interpretation been changed? While this case play was not identical to the OP play, it's similarity is relevant.

In most every case, jeopardy has been considered subjective, and a judgment to be made by those on the field (although KR has, more than any predecessor, seemed to try to make those calls from afar; I suspect his motivation is an effort for "consistency").

With any subjectivity, I see a substantial difference between:

1) this case play, where a) no call was made in live time, b) all runners appeared confused, and c) a no-call was later changed to a an IFR; and

2) this OP, where a) the call was made (be it not very loud, not at the apex of the flight, but acknowledged by the offense, and prior to the ball being dropped), b) at least one runner was NOT confused, and c) there was no change of a call nor it necessarily "delayed".

Certainly a play somewhat similar, but I see some substantial differences that I consider pertinent to the ruling.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Tru_in_Blu

Thanx for the replies so far.

From an older case study file I have, I found the following:

PLAY 8.2-35
With one out and R1 on 2B, R2 on 1B, B3 hits an apparent infield fly. The umpire does not call "infield fly." The fly ball is not caught and in the confusion, both R1 and R2 are tagged off base resulting in three outs.
RULING: The infield fly should have been in effect. Failure of the umpire to invoke the infield fly place the runner in jeopardy. This is correctable by calling the batter out and returning the runners to their respective bases (8-2l; 10-3C)
Has this interpretation been changed? While this case play was not identical to the OP play, it's similarity is relevant.

The difference here is that the IF was called. First base coach confirmed it and should have directed his runner appropriately.

[Tru_in_Blu]

Just as a follow up to the team that lost the game on the OP triple play...

This is a company intramural modified league and their playoffs are basically a double-elimination format tournament.

That team scored 8 runs in the first inning and 9 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. In the top of the 7th, they led the game 17-10. They then proceeded to give up 15 runs in all manner of ways. In the bottom of the 7th, they managed to plate 2 or 3 runs.

I was PU and the guy who called the IF late from the OP was on the bases. Since there is no stealing or bunting, we work these games as slow pitch mechanics.

With 2 outs and runners on first and second the batter hit a short blooper over the third baseman and shortstop. The third baseman realized he wasn't going to catch it, so retreated to cover third base. Shortstop fielded the ball on one hop going towards left field, turned and threw to third baseman who was still running. He caught the ball over the shoulder like a football player a few feet from the base and sort of parallel with the foul line. It appeared to me that he then stepped over the bag a split second before the runner from second slid into the base. Third baseman claimed that he had dragged his foot across the base. Before the coach even asked I called time to check with my partner who had started in "B" and had moved into the infield. He confirmed that the player had indeed contacted the base prior to the runner sliding in. So I reversed the call for the game ending out which also bounced this team from the playoffs.

Most players said nothing as the teams lined up for post game handshakes but a couple of younger hotheads had some comments for my partner about "how to hold a grudge" or "taking the game away from them".

These guys just choked away a sure win by playing afraid to lose. It was the most pathetic display of protecting a lead that I've seen in 40 years of softball.

And it was all the umpire's fault.

A couple of players from the first game of the night had stayed around to watch this game because they were going to play the winners. As we walked back to the parking lot they told us we got it right. They had been sitting in the bleachers right across from third base. The only other guy who might have had a better view was the third base coach. I don't think he was one of the guys yelling at us.