The Infield Fly Rule

Of all the rules that are in the rulebook, the infield fly rule is perhaps the one that's the most difficult for people to visualize.  Its definition is certainly one of the most complex - you have to have runners on first and second or first, second and third, and you have to have fewer than two outs, and then you have to have a ball hit high in the air, and the ball has to be able to be caught by an infielder with "ordinary effort."  If you have all that, then the batter's out.  Huh?  What were they thinking?

As with many of the rules, it's best to go back to the play that this rule was designed to cover.  Realize that in the situation described (R1/R2 or R1/R2/R3 and fewer than two outs) we have a least two runners that will be forced to advance if the batter hits the ball.  So let's suppose that the batter pops the ball up right over the shortstop.  The ball's an easy catch, so the second baseman has a chance to kind of scope out the infield, and sees that R1 and R2 are both hugging their bags.  So, being a crafty type, he steps back, allows the ball to bounce, and then whips it to third for one out, followed by a relay to second for a second out.  (We're assuming that the batter's doing what he should be and legging it out towards first - if the ball's high in the air, he should be able to make it there.)  So, the defense has gotten a double play out of a pop-up.

Of course, if the base runners try to prevent this by, say, going half-way, then the shortstop catches the ball and throws behind one of the runners.  Again, a double play on a pop-up.

Somewhere back in time, the Lords Of Baseball decided that this wasn't really fair to the offense.  (Probably after somebody did this once or twice.)  So, they created the Infield Fly Rule.  By automatically declaring the batter out in this situation, the force is automatically removed on the runners, thus allowing them to stay on their bases with confidence that they won't be doubled off.

That's why this rule is in the book - to protect the baserunners.

It also helps explain the restrictions on the situation.  If there are two outs, there's no incentive for the defense to be trying for a double play, so there's no reason to grant an "automatic out."  Similarly, if first and second aren't both occupied, then there aren't two runners forced, and the defense never has the opportunity to set up this play.  (Remember, we assume everybody on the offense is trying to do his or her job, which means that the batter is hightailing it down to first as the ball is in the air.)  If the ball is hit to the outfield, or if it's going to be a tough catch for the infielder, again the "special" play by the defense is unlikely to work, since dropping the ball isn't going to leave the defense in easy control of the situation.  It's only when the full combination of events comes together - two runners forced, incentive to create a double play, and a ball that's easy to manage - that the protection is needed.

Now, obviously most Little Leaguers aren't sneaky enough (or talented enough) to actually pull off the play that the rule was designed to outlaw, but the rule is in the book and thus it should be called.  In my opinion, however, where understanding the intent of the rule comes in, however, is applying it in marginal situations.

First, I've lost count of the number of times that an infielder drops a little hump-back liner and then we have a mad scramble, three overthrows, two runs scoring, etc., and after it all, the defensive manager comes out and wants me to make an infield fly call so that he manages to get at least one out on the play.  Sorry, skipper - the rule is designed to protect the offense, not to give your team a cheap out when they can't catch the ball.  "High in the air" means "high in the air," not "any ball that makes it to an infielder in the air."

Second, I use a very large grain of salt in determining what "ordinary effort" means when I'm working games involving the younger kids.  When I see the ball go up in the air, turn over and start down, there had better be somebody camped right underneath it with his or her glove in the air, or this may not meet my definition of "ordinary effort."  As the players get older, of course, things will loosen up a bit, but I'm still looking for someone more or less underneath the ball, and either calling for it or obviously intending to catch it.  If a player has to run hard for the ball (say, one popped up mid-way between home and third with both the pitcher and third baseman charging it), or if they have to turn their back and run away fromm the infield, this probably doesn't constitute "ordinary effort."  Your mileage (and judgment) may vary of course.

Now, of course, if I call an infield fly and the fielder drops the ball, we all now know that the forces are off because the batter's out.  It's quite possible, however, that the runners (and the defense) will forget this, and you'll have fielders tagging bases, runners advancing, etc. and after everything is said and done perhaps the offensive manager's going to be complaining because I somehow didn't tell his runners that they didn't have to advance.  Now the shoe's on the other foot - it is up to the offense to know the situation and the rule.  Runners are allowed to advance on an infield fly, but they do so at their own peril.  It's obviously not my job to coach the players.

Finally, consider the case where I do mess things up.  If I call an infield fly in a non-infield-fly situation (say, two outs, or on a bunt), then I'm going to have to fix things as best I can after the play is over (and take the grief for it).  Similarly, if an obvious infield fly occurs and I neglect to call it, I really need to fix that, particularly if the defense got an undeserved double play as a result.  I'm not saying it can't be tricky to unwind something like that, but the rule is the rule, and umpires are responsible for applying them properly at all times.  Fortunately, the number of times that a real infield fly occurs (ordinary effort and all that) and it is not caught by the defense are actually comparatively rare.

So that's the infield fly rule.  If you have a question about the infield fly that I haven't answered, please don't hesitate to ask.