Infield(er) Fly

[DownTownTonyBrown]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA

Originally posted by DownTownTonyBrown
I fully recognise that there are infield fly hits that cannot be caught. (There are some very well known umpires that will argue this point.) I would not call these hits good on the part of the batter and I would not call them an infield fly either. Play on. This type of hit is relatively uncommon.

From Mike:
The pitcher couldn't recover from the pitch to make a play and F5 & F6 both moved toward the ball. However, we both recognized that no one was going to get to this ball and did not call the IF. The ball bounced twice before F5 got to it and threw out the runner from 3B at the plate on the force.

Despite the offensive scenario was the same as what would have happened had the IF been called,

This is the somewhat uncommon play I spoke of... that despite it looking like this could be an infield fly, there was no one that could catch the ball with ordinary effort.

And in my opinion, Mike did it correctly by waiting. Offensive coach screams that it should have been called despite the fact that he has the same situation. The bases would still be loaded and he would still have one more out if Mike had called the IF.

This is a little more evidence that coaches do not understand this rule. The offensive coach! Would he have yelled if his runner hadn't been asleep and had managed to be safe at home? Probably not. Wouldn't you think that it would be the defensive coach screaming for both the IF and the tag-out at home? Some things just make you smile.

KyBlue, Never miss an opportunity to call an out does not mean to create situations so you can call an out but rather don't create situations so you don't have to, or can't, call an out. It is not that you are looking to call outs but rather that you are trying to ensure that the lack of calling an out is justified. It is similar to a good No-call in basketball. It is a subtle difference but I feel a valid one. The axiom isn't really mine; I was given the idea by Div I baseball official that taught a National ASA clinic I attended several years back. I have promulgated the concept ever since. By the way, his corollary was: never miss an opportunity to call a strike. I haven't quite as thoroughly adopted the corollary.

I see the game of baseball/softball as that the offense must excell beyond the defense (e.g. the runner must beat the throw to first - not tie). I feel this axiom supports that concept - if the offense has not excelled enough to make the play and their success unquestionable, then call an out.

As for pitches/strikes, I feel the greater onus is on the pitcher (defense) and I personally want to be sure the ball is in the zone before I ring a strike. Perhaps it is this attitude that has kept me from adopting his corollary. For an iffy pitch, I put the onus on the pitcher and give the batter the benefit of the doubt.

Food for thought, Tony