What happens it a fly ball drifts foul and is dropped by the fielder? Is the ball now in play (although it would not have been had it been left alone) or is it just a long strike?
What if the hit is ruled an infield fly and drifts foul, only to be dropped (on a real fielding error, one would persume) by the fielder?
So, the Infield Fly Rule basicly says that the ball is treated as caught by the fielder even if the fielder doesn’t physically catch it, Right? This means that, theoretically, a runner at third could decide to tag up and try for a run after the ball is caught, right? Let’s say this is little-little-little league, and the fly ball goes to the 1st baseman – who, as everyone knows, is just good enough to catch balls thrown straight at him but has not a snowball’s chance in hell of delivering a good throw back to home plate. Under these circumstances, I might well tag up at third! So, say the slob bobbles it, or muffs it completely. It’s still a catch because of the IFR; but when is the ball deemed caught (that is, when can the runner start running from third)? Certainly not when the umpire calls the play; but is it when the ball should have been caught, when it hits the ground after being missed, or when the player credited with the putout deigns to bend down and pick the ball up off the ground?
No, of course not. It’s only a catch if he actually catches it.
On the other hand, the rule does say that a runner only has to tag up until the fielder touches the ball–that’s more or less to prevent an adroit outfielder from “bobbling” it all the way in to the infield where he can make an easier throw.
The proper umpiring procedure is to call loudly “Infield fly if fair.” But in any case if the ump calls infield fly and the ball is foul and not caught it’s just a foul ball.
If the infield fly is not caught then no runner need tag up. He could advance to the next base at any time whether he tagged up or not. On any fly ball that is caught (infield fly or not) a runner may leave from a tag-up as soon as the ball is first touched by any fielder. So if one fielder bobbles it and another catches it, the tagged-up runner may leave at the first touch. This rule is to prevent fielders from puposely juggling a caught ball while returning to the infield to prevent a runner from advancing a base. (So I’ve always been told). But also it’s an umpire judgement on where a dropped ball has been held long enough to be under the fielder’s control. It’s not fair to have the runner have to guess the ump’s judgement.
Well, as to the first question, a foul ball is a foul ball, whether it’s touched by a fielder or not. I’m assuming the fielder drops the ball in foul territory.
As to the second, an infield fly cannot be a foul ball. If a ball comes down foul it is not an infield fly, and the batter cannot possibly be out. If the pop is near to the foul line the umpire should call “Infield fly, batter’s out IF FAIR.” The ball is just an ordinary dead foul ball if it’s foul.
No.
The rule is even simpler than that; if it’s an infield fly situation and the batter hits a fair popup an infielder can catch with an ordinary effort, the batter’s out. Period. You’re not assuming the ball is caught; you’re calling the batter out for the action of hitting a popup.
Whether or not the ball is caught depends on whether or not it’s caught. If an infielder catches it in the air, then the runners are liable to be picked off, if they were stupid enough to leave their bases. If it’s dropped, it’s just a live ball.
So to answer your followup question, “When is the ball deemed caught,” it’s just like any other fly ball. A runner can leave his base at the moment the ball touches a fielder, if it’s caught. If it’s never caught, it doesn’t matter when the runner left the base.
Fair/foul calls are entirely dependent upon the position of the ball. Fielders don’t matter. Runners don’t matter. The ball is fair or foul. Nothing else.
The infield fly rule is designed to preclude the defense from getting an unmerited double or triple play. The key words in the rule are that “the runners may advance at their own peril.”
Runners tagging up have to leave from a dead stop. They can’t run behind the base and try to time their departure from a base with the time the fielder touches the ball.
For example, say i hit a line drive towards third base, and it’s going just over the third base fielder’s head. If the fielder reaches up and tries to catch the ball, and if he touches it and it then lands in foul territory, it’s a fair ball, right?
Furthermore, it’s a fair ball even if it would have gone into foul territory without the fielder touching it.
Once the fielder touches a ball that is in or above fair territory, the ball is fair, no matter where it actually lands, or where it wold have landed without the fielder’s intervention.
I stand by my statement, the fielder doesn’t matter. The fielder touched a ball while it is in fair territory. What made it fair though was the fact that it was in fair territory when it was touched.
I was trying to get across the point that where a fielder is standing doesn’t make a ball fair or foul. It’s the ball.
What if you had an annoying player that just wanted to bug people (like, say, Dennis Rodman decides to play baseball), and instead of running, jogging, or even walking around the bases, he inches forward at an incredibly slow pace. Is there a rule to move him along or call him out?
Interesting question. As a practical matter, I can’t see this happening unless for some reason the team manager ordered the player to do so. Otherwise the manager would kick his ass.
There is no rule to call him out, but he would certainly be warned, and if he refused to move along he would be ejected from the game. In baseball parlance, this is “making a travesty of the game” and is dealt with through ejection. It’s certainly happened before.
He would also probably see, his next time up, a fastball come right at his head.
If such a batted ball hits the infield, rolls into foul territory and settles there, it’s a foul ball.
The only exception is if the ball hits the infield, passes first or third base in fair territoty and then goes into foul territory and settles there. But then, in this case, were not strictly talking infield anymore because the ball has passed through a portion of the outfield when it passes first or third base.
