How to call INFIELD FLY - Umpire Training

How to call INFIELD FLY | Umpire Training
What is infield fly and why is it important? This video will explain when infield fly is in effect and how to apply it. Baseball and Softball umpires should expect these plays and know when to call them.
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[@baseballumpires6901]

A couple of mistakes you made. A line drive is never an IFR. Think for a minute. Line Drive as opposed to Fly Ball. There is a big difference. Line drive is sharp and direct where as a fly ball is up in the air. Second, the fielder does not have to get set under the ball. He merely needs to be making an ordinary or routine effort on the ball. He can still be moving. A couple of things you missed. 1. For the purpose of the IFR the catcher and any any player positioned “in the infield” at the time of the pitch is considered to be an infielder. Yes I said Catcher. Remember the catcher is the only player positioned in foul territory. If the CFer is positioned in the infield at the time of the pitch he would be an infielder for the purpose of the IFR. 2. The ball can land in the outfield. If an infielder is ruled to be fielding the ball with an ordinary effort the ball can come down in the OF and it is still an Infield Fly. 3. If an infielder has been ruled to be fielding the ball and at the last second an outfielder calls him off the IFR has likely already been called. It is still an IFR because the infielder was ruled to have been fielding the ball. The outfielder calling him off at the last second does not negate the call.

[@johnhannon2676]

A line drive is not an infield fly in any rule set

[@timothyjames8855]

You’re 100% correct and we are correcting that part of the video. Thank you for your feedback.

[@justinphillips8317]

There's a separate rule that says you can't intentionally drop a line drive though to try and get a double play. This is a thing too and if deemed intentional, play is dead, batter runner is out and runners return to their bases

[@zachansen8293]

@@justinphillips8317 Right, but you can decline to catch it -- that's fine... but you can't temporarily control the ball in order to have it drop nicely so you can pick it up.

[@zachansen8293]

1:35 that's wrong unless you're talking about some very different rules. Line drives are NEVER infield fly calls by any rule I've heard of. It requires a pop up that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort. The "fly" part of "infield fly" refers to a fly ball -- which a line drive isn't. And the "infield" part refers to an "infielder" not the actual infield.

[@robertlosasso4222]

The infield fly is only called when there are bases loaded or first and second with less then two out . The Umpire will call it . I learned that in Little League baseball .

[@justinbarron8980]

Runners on first and second 1 out and I called infield fly. Batter is out, but the runner at second was off the base when the catch was made. They throw it back to second but did not put the tag on the runner. Is the runner out at second.? Is the runner supposed to tag even though it’s infield fly?

[@stevehamman4465]

Yes he is out! IFR, is treated just as any fly ball if caught.

[@stevehamman4465]

No tag needed , he was forced back to the bag to tag up.

[@guesswho6925]

Is it an infield fly if only a runner at 1st?

[@stevehamman4465]

NO ! Runners on 1st and 2nd , less than two outs!

[@roberthitchman]

To my knowledge, an infield fly doesn’t have to be caught by an “infielder”. It just has to be caught in the infield by “any” fielder with ordinary effort.

[@davej3781]

you've got that backwards. an infield fly must be catchable by an infielder with ordinary effort. the actual fielder who catches it (or tries to catch it) can be anyone, and it doesn't have to be in the infield. See the comment on the definition of infield fly in the OBR: _(Infield Fly) Comment:_ On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder-not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire’s judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder.

[@baseballumpires6901]

Not correct. The ball can come down in the infield or outfield. It doesn’t have to be caught. An infielder has to be ruled as making an ordinary effort on the catch. Also, the catcher and any outfielder “stationed in the infield at the time of the pitch “ is considered to be an infielder for the purpose of the IFR.

[@baseballumpires6901]

@@davej3781 uh yeah that is wrong. Just because an infielder can make the play with ordinary effort doesn’t mean you get the IFR. He has to actually be making that effort too. Yes an outfielder can make the catch attempt but that is only after an infielder has been judged to be making the catch attempt with ordinary effort and the outfielder at the last moment calls him off. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a pop up in the infield and all infielders stand still. Could a player have made the catch attempt with ordinary effort? Sure. More than 1 could. But if no one makes the attempt, you don’t have an IFR.

[@davej3781]

@@baseballumpires6901 I don't see where you're really disagreeing with anything I said... certainly nothing I said was wrong in any way.

[@baseballumpires6901]

@@davej3781 read again. As I said for instance. Just because a ball could be easily handled by an infielder does not make it an infield fly if he makes no attempt at the ball. This the outfielder coming in just makes it a fly ball.