Each year, little league provides its constituent leagues with current little league rules, regulations, and policies that outline and define the operation of the program. In defense of baseballs infield fly rule the atlantic. Its pretty much, and even stated in the rules, that its a way to retroactively call infield fly when the play was too fast to call it live. If a declared infield fly fallsuntouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an infield fly. The infield fly rule dates back to 1894 and is covered under rules 2. Even if youre a diehard fan of our national pastime, sometimes an umpires call can be a little baffling. Explanation of the infield fly rule little league baseball. Mar 08, 2008 get an explanation of the infield fly rule with expert tips and advice on baseball rules and basics in this free online baseball video clip. An infield fly is when a ball stays in the infield that isnt a bunt or line drive. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the. When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an infield fly, the umpire shall. That is a rule, but its literally never enforced, you see it pretty commonly with fielders just gloving down line drives when infield fly cant be called. And for newer fans, major league baseballs nuanced rulesdeveloped and revised over decadescan be downright perplexing.
The umpire s declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out and all force plays are removed regardless of whether the ball is caught. The infield fly rule was invoked for the out on bruce. In the eighth inning of the winnertakeall game between the atlanta braves and the st. The rule says that an infield fly is a ball that can be caught by an infielder, but that does not mean that it must be caught by an infielder. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to. Were working to bring you related content across this site. Discussion of the infield fly rule in little league. That said, we at outfield fly rule salute the nurses.
If the umpire makes the judgment that an infielder, catcher, or pitcher could catch it with ordinary effort whatever that means the batter is out, even if no one caught it, even if they did catch it and then dropped it. Official baseball rules sporting news, sporting news staff. Umps call infield fly rule in padresphillies game deep into. Intermediate 5070 juniorsenior league baseball can still move a pitcher to another position. Its pretty much, and even stated in the rules, that its a way to retroactively call infield fly when the play was too fast to call. Religious headgear that is consistent with baseball canada safety and recognized uniform code requirement is permitted.
Should the ball drift foul and not be caught, it is a foul ball. Second, you have runners on first and second, or bases loaded, as shown here. Mar 10, 2020 a few important points about the infield fly rule. The infield fly rule in baseball is a judgement call by the umpire. The rule refers mainly to popups, since line drives or weakly hit fly balls that fall to the ground immediately would not allow time for the defense to react fast enough to catch the baserunners offguard. That said, we at outfield fly rule salute the nurses, doctors, emc personnel, and essential workers risking. A copy of this article may be downloaded in adobe acrobat format. Louis cardinals atlanta shortstop andrelton simmons came to bat with runners on first and second and hit a high, shallow pop up between cardinals shortstop pete kozma and left fielder matt holliday. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before. The 2012 national league wild card game was a playin game during major league baseballs mlb 2012 postseason played between the national leagues nl two wild card teams, the st. Outfield fly rule atlanta braves through thick and thin. An injured guy may be replaced by a guy or girl teammate.
Baseball rules book in considering the application of a particular rule. The infield fly rule was put in place to prevent a defensive player from intentionally dropping a pop up in the infield and turning it into an easy double play, or even a triple play. Since the ball landed in the infield, is this an infield fly. Baseball adopted the infield fly rule in 1895 so infielders could not let. Junior and senior baseball in addition to the little league rules the following also apply.
Many of the younger umpires in major league baseball learned baseballs rules from this innovative manual. It was put in place in order to prevent defensive players from dropping a fly ball hit to the infield on purpose in order to turn a quick double play. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. It is important for all little league volunteers and parents to be familiar with the most uptodate version of little league s official regulations, playing rules, and.
The infield fly rule is explained in the official baseball rules in two places. To put fridays controversial play into context, in the past three seasons, there were six infield flies that were not caught in the majors, according to baseball info solutions, the longest measured at 178 feet. Asa defines an infield fly as a fair fly ball, not including a line drive or an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder, pitcher or catcher with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third bases are occupied with less than two. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted. The complete rules are published as the official baseball rules at, the official web site of major league baseball in the united states and canada. I believe they chose two baserunners because any hit. This being said, the rule not being in place would unfairly place base runners at risk in the infield fly situation. If they stay close to their bases, the third base player could choose to let the ball drop and get multiple outs by tagging the runner who was on third, stepping on third base to force out the runner from second, and throwing to second base to force out the runner from first. When an arbiter is needed to settle disputes regarding baseball rules, this is the book to consult. The rule applies only if both first and second are occupied by runners and there are fewer. Hochevar threw to catcher drew butera, who easily tagged bourgeois five feet from the plate for the inningending double play. Oct 12, 2012 baseball s infield fly rule has sparked more legal fascination than any other rule in sports. The infield fly rule is a baseball rule intended to prevent the defense from getting a cheap double play by deliberately dropping a fly ball in the infield. What is the infield fly rule baseball rules explained.
Here is the way major league baseball defines the infield fly. There must be 1 adult in the dugout at all times no exceptions. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder stationed in the. The current infield fly rule went into effect in 1901 and applies with less than two outs. Completely updated for 1999, this is the official rule book used by major league umpires as well as other professional and amateur baseball organizations.
Oct 31, 2016 an infield fly is when a ball stays in the infield that isnt a bunt or line drive. You are in an infield fly situation when these two conditions are met. This is normally called to put a stop to a double play. What does the rule book say about the upper part o. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder. The runner on third base, bourgeois, broke from third base and tried to score. The infield fly rule explained why the infield fly rule is a must. The major league baseball silhouetted batted logo is a registered trademark of major league baseball. If, in an infield fly situationmen on first and second or bases loaded with less than two out the umpire does not make the call, theorically the infield fly rule still applies. Where the ball lands has no bearing on whether the ball is an infield fly or not. Without the infield fly rule, the runners have a dilemma.
With the nation and the world still in the grips of the covid19 pandemic and most sports shut down in the united states, including major and minor league baseball, the raison detre for this blog has taken a hit. Many amateur and youth leagues use the obr with only a few modifications for safety. The most important rule to remember about the infield fly rule is that it is strictly a judgement call by the umpire. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder stationed in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule. What is the infield fly rule baseball rules explained youtube. What is the infield fly rule according to major league baseball, mlb rule 6. An infield fly is any fair fly ball not including a line drive or a bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the ball is caught, even if the infielder fails to catch it or drops it on purpose. Games must be played by the rules as written, coaches may not make a gentlemans agreement to change any rules. The infield fly rule protects base runners from the deception of an infielder who may allow an infield fly ball to drop, thus setting up an easy force play. If this happens there is probavbly going to be a goatroping players and coaches are supposed to know the rules.
All the great falls leagues have adopted these rules. Particularly at higher levels, a deep infield fly might be taken by an outfielder coming in. The infield fly rule is normally called under two circumstances. The first one is when there are less than two outs. If you did not know about it, pitching in with infield fly rule, explained in the text below. Asa defines an infield fly as a fair fly ball, not including a line drive or an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder, pitcher or catcher with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third bases are occupied with less than two outs. Orioles turn triple play after umpire decides not to call infield fly rule no infield fly was called as j. The batter is out but the ball remains live, and in all other respects it is simply a fly ball. What is the infield fly rule and why do they have it. The infield fly rule steve os baseball umpire resources.
When both of these conditions are met then any high popup that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort invokes the infield fly rule iff. Of all the rules that are in the rulebook, the infield fly rule is perhaps the one thats the most difficult for people to visualize. Case book material is printed in smaller type than the rule language and is labeled as comment. The rule can be invoked by any umpire on the field.
May 15, 2014 great to have a pocket size book to refer to, when into a serious baseball game, and wonder what the official rules really say about a play,that might need a second glance. The rule was first introduced by the national league in 1895 and only applied with one out. Infield fly rule october 5, 2012 an infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, orfirst, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. Rules the league will play national federation of state high school rules with the clarifications and exceptions as outlined in these rules. Oct 06, 2012 what is the infield fly rule in baseball. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when. Other articles where infield fly rule is discussed. It was held at turner field in atlanta, on october 5, 2012, at 5. Important notes 1 the playing rules committee, at its december 2014 meeting, voted to reorganize and recodify the official baseball rules into a more logical and organized manner. From the official rules of little league baseball, inc. If interference is called during an infield fly, the ball remains alive until it is determined whether the ball is fair or foul. It is important for all little league volunteers and parents to be familiar with the most uptodate version of little leagues official regulations, playing rules, and. These cover various possibilities that may occur under the rule. Failure to play by the rules as written may result in a double forfeit.
The rules are also published in book form in north america by the sporting news. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of rule 5. If it is a foul ball and is caught, it is simply the catch of a foul pop. A fly ball catchable with ordinary effort in major league baseball might not be in a junior high school game, due to the ability of the players involved. Fridays infield fly was measured at 225 feet from home plate, according to baseball info solutions. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied before two are out. P layers junior baseball is for ages and 14 exception with waiver to add age 15 and senior baseball is for ages 15 and 16. Hardy missed a fly going toward lf, and the os end up with three outs. Few rules in major league baseball provide such a captivating history as that of the infield fly rule. This is perhaps one of the easiest rules in the book that all too frequently gets overcomplicated. Designed by major league baseball to ensure good sportsmanship and fair play during the course of a game, the rule deals with those strategies that undermine.
If all conditions exist, the umpire should call infield fly, the batter is out or if it may drift foul, infield fly if fair, the batter is out. The common law origins of the infield fly rule the1 infield fly rule 2 is neither a rule of law nor one of equity. The fact that an infielder was unable to get underneath the ball means that it could not be caught with ordinary effort. The infield rule played a big role in the 2012 national league wild card game. Get an explanation of the infield fly rule with expert tips and advice on baseball rules and basics in this free online baseball video clip. The only other instance when the infield fly rule is called is when either runners are on first and second, or the bases are loaded. The kicker is out when there is a fair fly ball which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, with less than two outs. Now in its third editiona clear guide to the complete rules of baseball, updated in 2019. Listen to what some of the best young umpires in the world have said about our manual. On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infieldernot by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. It returned to the national spotlight this past week when an unusual and controversial infield fly. Rules are generally listed as they appear in one of the respective rules books, with.
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