Infield fly vs. an intentionally dropped ball

[Dakota]

Originally posted by tkrochta
I find this rule curious in that a hustling batter should almost always be able to avoid the double play when a ball is "intentionally dropped" and then picked back up.

The only advantage I can think of for a defensive team dropping a ball with only first base occupied is to get a fast runner(the one on first) off the bases in exchange for a possibly slower runner(the batter).

Todd

The intentionally dropped ball is basically a ruse to make the runners on base think the force is on. It isn't, of course, since (speaking ASA) the ball has been caught and voluntarily released. It is also possibly a ruse to make the umpire think the force is still on and attempt to get a double play (or at least the lead runner).

My assumption is the ball is declared dead to protect the offense from the ruse. It is assumed the IF is called when the ball is at its apex, giving the runners due notice the force is off, so the ball is kept live allowing them to advance if they choose.

However, with the intentionally dropped ball, the call is not made until the drop, meaning runners will likely have already reacted to the assumed force situation. Therefore, the ball is dead protecting them from being caught off base.

All of this is just my own assumptions on the purpose of the rule.

With the apparent NSA rule of intentionally letting the ball fall untouched being covered by the rule, then the force is indeed on unless the rule is invoked.