Arrgh, that’s not true. If the umpire does not call “infield fly” while the ball is in the air, there is no way that he can invoke the ruling later. That’s clearly stated in the MLB rules (reprinted earlier in this thread) and the ASA softball rules (available in PDF form at softball.org)
The MLB rule says twice that the umpire should make the call immediately, and specifically says that you cannot appeal the lack of a call.
The point of the infield fly rule is to inform the baserunners that they have no obligation to advance if the ball is not caught. When the rule is not invoked, the baserunners do have an obligation to advance, and they do so at the risk of being tagged (or forced) out. It’s fundamentally important that the baserunners know this, and they an’t operate under one set of assumptions, only to be later judged safe or out based on a different set of assumptions.
Enright seems to infer that there is an obligation to invoke the infield fly rule, and that if the umpire mistakenly failed to invoke it, he could correct his mistake. I just don’t believe that’s at all correct, aqnd in fact I think that’s the biggst misconception about the infield fly rule. If anyone can point me to a rulebook that says otherwise, I’d like to see it.
Hmmm… I’d like to note a couple of things. First of all the ASA rules are NOT posted on the ASA Web Site. Only the rule changes for this year are posted.
Second, I feel like I am qualified to make the answer I did for several reasons…
For starters, I’m not just pulling this out of thin air. My personal qualifications include:
I’m a member of the National Indicator Fraternity the qualifications of which are (paraphrasing): The applicant must have been an ASA registered umpire for at least seven (7) years, the umpire must have umpired three national championships.
I’m a Gold Medal Umpire, the qualifications of which are (paraphrased): Umpire must have umpired in at least three (3) national championships, two (2) of which must have been in the following tournaments Girls 18-U Gold (I’ve been selected for the 18 Gold twice), Men’s Modified Pitch 9-man (I’ve been selected for this tournament four times). The evaluations in these two (2) must be of the highest rating (Done that too).
I’m an ASA Elite umpire, the qualifications of which are (again, paraphrased): Must have umpired in at least four (4) national championships, and two (2) of which must have been in the same category of play (see above list for my qualifying national tournaments). The applicant must have attended an ASA National
Umpire School.
So not only do I feel qualified to make that decision, I can tell you that is what is being taught in the ASA Umpire Schools, and we are talking softball, so MLB rules do not come in to play here.
To me it makes sense of you think about it. First of all, players rarely hear an umpire make the infield fly call. They do, however know when the infield fly rule is in effect. Like I stated before, if the umpire doesn’t call it, but it was still an infield fly, the umpire HAS to make that ruling, even if it’s after the play. Ninety Nine times out of a hundred a competitive team will react as if the infield fly rule had been called correctly.
And finally, I’d like to apologize for the websites listed. Most of them are put together by volunteers.
I was going to agree with Enright before I read his last post–now, I don’t think I have any choice.
The rules state that the umpire makes the call immediately for the same reason that the umpire should make all calls immediately. Just because the call is not made immediately–or the runners do not hear the call–does not remove the responsibility from the runners. The point of the rule is not to inform the baserunners–they should know already.
Of course, I’ll yield to Enright3’s softball experience. However, if that’s what’s being taught then it’s no wonder this is such a frequent source of confusion and dispute.
But what is the baserunners’ responsibility? It’s different depending on what the umpire’s call is.
For example, runners on 1st and second and a popup is hit behind third base. The umpire, does not call or otherwise signal “infield fly.” The thirdbaseman stumbles and the ball falls to the ground. The runner on second stands on the bag. The thirdbaseman picks up the ball and tags third. Umpire calls him out, saying that in his judgement the infield fly rule was not in effect because it was not a ball that could be caught with ordinary effort. The runner didn’t advance because he felt that, even though the ump didn’t call or signal “infield fly,” it was a catchable ball. It’s not a matter of knowing the rules, it’s a judgment call, and the runnners can’t assume they know what the umpire’s judgment is. They have to be told.
And besides, it’s not just the runners whose responsibilities change depending on whether the rule is invoked, it’s also the fielders. Consider the same circumstances as above, but instead of standing on the bag, the runner advances to third after the ball drops. If the infield fly rule were in effect, there is no force play at third and the runner must be tagged to be put out Since the 3B did not believe the rule was in effect, he simply tagged the base and threw the ball back to the pitcher. The umpire says “that’s an infield fly even though I didn’t call it”, and the runner is ruled safe at third.
Players have to react to the judgment call of an umpire, and the rules and consequences change based on that call. Changing the judgement retroactively means that the outcome of the play is determined in a different context than which it was played.
That’s why its crucial for the umpire to call or signal whether the rule is in effect during the course of the play. That’s also why baseball umpires are taught that the rule can’t be invoked after the fact. If **Enright3 ** says that’s not the practice in softball, I won’t dispute him, but that doesn’t mean it makes any sense.
Also, people in Australia, the UK, India, etc. think that cricket is a statistic-obsessed sport (batting average, strike rate, bowling average, etc., etc., etc.).
But you’ve never seen statistics obsession until you’ve talked with a hard-core baseball fan. Or listened to some of the crap they pull on the television commentary.
“Yeah, he’s hitting .407 after the sixth inning with runners in scoring position when he plays on Wednesdays against an AL West team that is below .500 on the road during day games.” :rolleyes:
I know you’re mostly kidding, but FYI the infield fly rule is one of the MOST arcane points in baseball, perfectly suited for endless debate & digression. The rest of the game’s rules are quite simple, which is part of what makes the infield fly so debate-worthy: it’s sheer incongruity with the rest of the game.
Are you sure about that? Batting order is Able, Baker, Charles, Daws, … Able is due up but Baker bats instead and gets a single, Able follows him and grounds out with Baker going to second. Charles comes to the plate and after one pitch the opposition objects that Baker is supposed to bat following Able. You’re the ump; make the right call. Believe it or not this is covered in the rules – and you think the infield fly rule is arcane
Well, it might be true that this call would be difficult to make if you’re not a professional umpire, but batting out of order is hardly a common occurence in professional baseball.
No call to make. As the defensive team did not appeal until after Charlie had taken a pitch, the appeal is invalid. Baker remains at second and the inning proceeds.
Not sure of the exact rule reference, but it’s Section 6.
