If I call infield fly, and the runners take off, what happens if the ball is dropped?

Question

I thought it was always as though the ball is caught. So if the ball is in the air and the runners take off, and the ball is not caught, the runners can still be doubled up.

Answer 1

Infield fly rule means the batter is automatically out if the ball is or isn't caught. Runners on base are allowed to advance at their own risk. If the ball is caught you can be doubled off base. You could tag up and advance on an infield fly rule or if dropped can advance as far as you want.

Answer 2

It's obviously confusing. There has only been one answer that is totally correct. Let me try and simplify the IF rule as I teach it to new umpires. The IF situation is in effect with runners at first and second, or first second and third with less than 2 outs. An infield fly is a FAIR fly ball which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort. This does not include a bunted ball, or a line drive. Having stated that part of the rules, the simplest way to look at it from here is; When an infield fly is called by the umpire, the batter/runner is out, and the force plays are all removed. The runners do not have to advance. All other rules pertaining to caught fly balls still applies. If ball is caught and runners are off the base, they can be called out on a throwback (actually a live ball appeal). If the runners wish to advance on an IF which has not been caught, they must tag-up. If the IF is NOT caught, the runners may (but ARE NOT FORCED) to advance at their own risk. Another rule book definition is that fo INFIELD which is: The portion of the field in fair territory that includes areas normally covered by infielders. Notice that a shortstop, and second basemen especially will NORMALLY make plays way out "on the grass". Thus an IF can be invoked even "behind the bases". It's a simple rule really, but doesn't happen a whole lot. I called two in one game last night. Probably happens once in every 20-30 games though.-

Answer 3

First of all, the umpire has to call inflield fly rule.


The confusion that can be created is in the details and the combination of things that can happen. One point of confusion is that many people mistakenly think that the infield fly rule applies when there is only a runner on first base. This isn't the case. When there is no force play at home or third, the only way to turn a double play, by intentionally dropping the ball, is if the batter doesn't run to first base. In this case the infield fly rule doesn't apply and the defensive team could turn a double play. I don't think anyone will feel bad for the batter in this scenario.

So now that we know the game situation that the infield fly rule can be called, let's move on to the call itself. The main thing to remember is that the infield fly rule is a judgment call by the umpire. If the umpire determines that a player can make the catch with ordinary effort, then he/she can apply the rule. After the ball is hit in the air, you should hear the umpire yell, "Infield fly, batter is out." If you don't hear the umpire yell that, then assume the rule doesn't apply. The rule is written to give the umpire the ability to determine whether to apply the rule or not. Here is an example when the rule may not applied by the umpire. Runners on first and second. The third baseman charges toward home on a bunt coverage. The batter swings away and pops the ball up by third base. The umpire determines that the ball cannot be caught with ordinary effort, so he says nothing. The infield fly rule is not applied and the third baseman can pick the ball off the ground (if he missed it) and touch third base for a force out if the runner hasn't made it to third yet. Make sure you and your players don't assume that the infield fly rule is automatically enforced based on the situation. It is still a judgment call by the umpire.

Another point of confusion (and this is confusing) has to do with the ball being fair or foul. For example, you could have the umpire call out "Infield fly, batter is out.", and then not have the batter be out. How can that happen? The infield fly rule only applies to a fair ball. So let's say a pop up is hit down the third base line. The umpire makes his call and then the ball drifts into foul territory. Whether the ball is caught or not, the infield fly rule no longer applies. So, if the ball is dropped by the third baseman in foul territory, it's simply a foul ball and the batter is still up. In this case, umpires are taught to yell, "Infield fly if fair". The umpire may mistakenly make the first call and just because he called the batter out, doesn't mean he is out in this situation. The correct call is simply a foul ball.

A similar situation can happen if the ball hits in fair territory (before the bases) and then rolls foul (before being touched by a defensive player). You might see this on a pop-up to the catcher or pitcher. The ball is missed and the backspin takes the ball foul after it is missed. In this case just like the last, the infield fly rule doesn't apply and it's a foul ball.

To keep the same line of thought going, let's say a popup is hit to first base, the umpire yells "Infield fly, batter is out.". The first baseman misses the ball and it hits in fair territory and rolls into foul territory after going past first base. Since this would normally be a hit, the infield fly rule does apply and the batter is out.

Is that all of the confusion?
Nope, there's more. Where the ball is caught can be another point of confusion. Let's say your second baseman is playing on the dirt and takes a few steps back onto the outfield grass to catch the popup and you hear the umpire call the infield fly rule. You think the player is on the outfield grass, so the call shouldn't be made. Again, the rule is written to give the umpire the ability to make the call based on his judgment. If you think about it, it really makes sense. In this situation can the umpire really determine whether the ball is going to land in the grass or the dirt? What if the grass is really close to the infield on this particular field? Or how would he make the call on an all dirt field? What he can do is judge whether the second baseman is in a position to make an ordinary catch and to visually determine and make a judgment as to the depth of the fielder. He can then determine to call the infield fly rule even if it ends up being caught in the outfield grass.

What if in that same situation the right fielder calls off the second baseman and makes the catch? The answer is that the infield fly rule would still be in effect. The rule is based on the judgment of the umpire while the ball is in the air. If the right fielder calls off the second baseman he is still catching what the umpire had determined to be an infield fly.

What about the other base runners?
The other runners can try to advance at their own risk as they would on any other fly ball. If the ball is caught, the runners must tag up before advancing. If the ball is not caught, there is no need to tag up. The difference for the runner is that since the batter is out, there is no longer a force play and the runner doesn't need to advance, even if the ball is not caught.

What about a line drive or bunted ball?
The infield fly rule doesn't apply to line drives or a bunted ball. There's an additional rule that applies to an intentionally dropped ball including line drives and fly balls when the infield fly rule is not called. This rule states that the batter is out if a defensive player intentionally drops the ball with the intention of gaining a defensive advantage by not catching it. An example is there's a runner on first and a line drive is hit to the shortstop close to second base. The shortstop drops the ball in order to try and turn a double play. This rule differs from the infield fly rule in a number of ways:

This rule can apply with a runner on first base or first and third in addition to the force plays listed for the infield fly rule
This rule can be called by the umpire after the play occurs. An infield fly rule must be called when the ball is in the air.
Once the umpire has made the call, the ball is dead and the base runners must return to their original bases. They cannot advance on the play.

An important part of this rule to understand is that the rule doesn't apply if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground. So, if the shortstop, in the example above let's the ball hit the ground before fielding it (even though he could have caught it in the air), the rule doesn't apply.

Answer 4

The rule is runners advance at their own risk! The batter is automatically out on the infield fly! So if the ball is dropped and the runner has taken off then he can advance! On a caught ball the runner needs to tag as normal fly ball rules apply!

Answer 5

yea my first answer was wrong you just run at our own risk the infield fly rule only applies when there is a force ou at third and less than two outs. if ur wondering the infield fly rule is when the ump decides when a flyball is easy to catch by any of the infielders in fair territory. if the ball can be caught quite easily the batter is automatically ruled out by the umpire and runners can tag up and advance if they choose to.

Answer 6

Yeah it is the way you thought. The runners can advance, but at their own risk. They still have to tag up at the base, regardless if the ball is caught. This is to prevent the fielder from intentionally dropping the ball and getting an easy double play.

Answer 7

They only need to tag up if the ball is caught, even on an infield fly. If the ball is dropped, they need not tag up.

Answer 8

The batter is declared out but play continues however it continues ( catch/no catch ) becasue the ball stays live.

That summarizes Mister Freeze's doctoral dissertation on the infield fly rule.

Answer 9

its still an out, but the runners run on there own, so if it is dropped you still must make a play on the runners, but if its caught the runners must tag up first.

Answer 10

On an infield fly the batter is out and the runners return to their previous bases and the ball is dead.