Men's SP game, friend of mine umping. League division purportedly fairly strong.

Cretin on 2B, Gudgeon on 1B, 1 out. Mooncalf hits a popup that F4 can handle easily. Ump calls infield fly. Gudgeon stands 15 feet off 1B while F4 flips to F3 to double him off.

So many players argued that "you can't get doubled up on an infield fly" that my buddy actually started to doubt himself.

"Where did these guys learn the rules?"

They don't. And that's the problem.

Bob

Actually, that is true - for a force out double play. ;) However, you can be called out on a live ball appeal! :D

No appeal necessary in this situation. This is not a missed base. Runner off base. Ball caught. Throw beats runner back to base. OUT!

Bob

But why did the defense throw the ball back to the base? I was thinking it was so they could execute a live ball appeal that the runner had left the base prior to the caught fly ball being touch.

It's not a force play. It's not a tag play. What is it if it's not an appeal?

It's both! It's both a candy mint AND a breath mint, it's 2, 2, 2 mints in one! LOL

It is a live ball appeal of the runner leaving before the catch, or the first touch leading to the catch to be exact. Tom was absolutely right in his description. That was why when the ball was thrown back to the base, (the actual "appeal" by the team), the ump called out. Otherwise, there would have had to been a tag or something since the force had been removed by the catch. However, since this is such a common appeal, all too often many forget that it is in fact an appeal and not part of the play.