IFF

[Rattlehead]

Bases Juiced, 1 out new batter.

Batter pops a ball 50 foot high and up the third base line about 2/3rds the way to the bag.

F6 can get to the ball if she takes three steps backward.

IFF if fair is called, not a second later F6 starts to franticly look for the ball, she had lost it in the sun.

F5 see's this and makes and ajustment over to the line calls F5 off and makes a sliding catch to make the out.


The PU didn't make call but I did as BU. If F6 had not lost the ball in the sun It would have been an everyday ordinary popup.

My Question is: Should I have waited and let the IFF call be late ?

[bkbjones]

1. the out was made as soon as "infield fly if fair" was called.

2. IMHO losing the ball in the sun is an extraordinary thing. HTBT, but the simple fact it was a sunny day and SS didn't have sunglasses wouldn't make this extraordinary.

3. If you or your partner called "infield fly if fair" before the ball reached its apex, then it was called too soon. HTBT, but if you waited until it had reached its apex or afterwards to call it, you didn't call it too early IMHO.

[mcrowder]

Rattle --- you're judging (at the ball's apex) whether the ball COULD be caught with ordinary effort. The actual actions of the infielders should not enter into your decision making process... so waiting until you saw what they did would not have been proper.

[CecilOne]

Please allow me to repeat part of my comments on 7/13 in another IFR topic:
"While ordinary effort remains in the rule, it means ordinary; not skilled. At whatever level, if ordinary play could have reached the ball in time for a catch or play; it doesn't matter if the specific player makes a mistake, ignores the ball, misplays it or whatever. It only matters that a normal (non-superstar) player COULD have made the play.

And we must remember that the rule says infielder could, not that an outfielder can't and nothing about grass/dirt, baselines, or any imaginary line or distance."