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. Umpire at center of infamous infield fly rule call will be. With that in mind, i gave the rule official rule book a quick scan on, and compiled some of the more strange rules that the rule book contains. 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. When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. Im achten inning des 2012 national league wild card spiels zwischen dem st. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play source. The comment in the baseball rule book that accompanies the explanation of the rule is whats most pertinent in tonights case. Baseball rules book in considering the application of a particular rule. The infield fly rule explained why the infield fly rule is a must. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the.
If a fly ball lands in the infield between home and first base. Since those years, some major changes and rule additions have taken place and baseball almanac has, hopefully, listed them into an easy to understand timeline. Many called it controversial, saying mlb umpire sam holbrook erroneously ruled an infield fly on the play and costing the braves the game. Okay now watch where hes at when he stops to come forward the ball is right next to him thats a reasonable under control catch in the outfield thats why im saying the umpires got it right part of the rule says even if an outfielder standing underneath him and he says and shows the infield is next to me in the outfield catch, it is still the. Here the infield rule, as defined by the official rules on. But beyond criticism of this specific call, some fans on twitter and in web forums expressed a deeper distaste for the infield fly rule itself, questioning whether it is necessary, wise, or warranted. The infield fly rule is a judgment call that umpires make based on a few factors of the specific play in question. The rulebook makes clear that any player, including an outfielder, who stations. Braves fans litter field after controversial infield fly. What initially looked to be a tremendous break for the braves, who appeared to have loaded the bases with just one out in the eighth, turned into the first controversy of the 2012 mlb playoffs. Umpires made correct call on infieldfly rule usa today. What is the infield fly rule and why do they have it. Early in the games history, baseballs rule makers picked up on that sly trick and.
How much did controversial infield fly call cost braves. In 2012, the infield fly rule was thrown back in the spotlight by baseball analysts after the national league wild card game between the cardinals and braves. Controversial infield fly call not subject to appeal. 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.
The rules intent is to prevent infielders from intentionally dropping easy outs in. Particularly at higher levels, a deep infield fly might be taken by an outfielder coming in. On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder not by. The most well known, significant and controversial implementation of the infield fly rule took place in the first national league wild card game, in 2012. Major league baseball advanced media mlbam was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the internet. The comment in the baseball rule book that accompanies the.
Friday nights affair between the braves and cardinals will always be remembered as the infield fly rule game, as the obscure rule and the vague way it can be defined led to a. An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can be caught by an infielder. If a declared infield fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an infield fly. Baseballs infield fly rule is perhaps one of the most conditional and. An imminent challenge that sometimes confuses umpires are the rules on intentionally dropping a fair fly ball or line drive rule 6.
An infield fly is a fair fly ball not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt which can. What was the most controversial invocation of the infield. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in. Between 2009 and 2012, there were six infieldfly rulings on balls that werent caught, and the longest was. This is the part of the rule that seems to not be not so clearly understood. Major league baseballs official playing rules committee has opted to alter baseballs definition of the infield fly rule following a contested play late in the 2012 season that baffled. 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.
An infield fly is a fair fly ball not a line drive or bunt that, in the judgment of the umpire, can be caught by an infielder, pitcher, or catcher with ordinary effort and when there are runners on first and second or first, second, and third and less than two outs. The umpire in left field had raised a single finger as the ball dropped, signaling that the infield fly rule was in effect. Drawing on interviews with experts, legal arguments and a study of every infield fly play in eight major league seasons, this book tells the complete story of the rule. But beyond criticism of this specific call, some fans on twitter and in web forums expressed a deeper distaste for the infield fly rule itself, questioning whether it is. The infield fly rule is the most misunderstood rule in baseball and perhaps in all of sports. Mlb modifies infield fly rule in wake of confusing play. 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. Ergo, had the umpires deemed status as probable fair ball and declared infield fly prior to the interference and associated dead ball, b1 would have been out on the infield fly rule. It is a rule that is designed to prevent the fielding team from tricking runners and converting a double play or triple play off what should be an easy pop out. And here is the mlb official rule book comment on the infield fly rule.
Getting to know the rule baseballs infield fly rule is perhaps one of the most conditional and technical parts of the sports rules book, yet once the concept is grasped, the rule is fairly straightforward, key phrase, once the concept is grasped. 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. Controversial infield fly call not subject to appeal, mlb rules. Umps call infield fly rule on simmons popup youtube. Louis cardinals during a wild card playoff game in 2012. To begin, the rule can only come into effect when the following conditions are met. 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. Or, take the controversial infield fly call from the 2012 national league wild card game. On what was supposed to be a historic night, mlb s firstever wildcard game will be remembered for a controversial infield fly rule call.
The infield fly rule is designed to keep a defense from intentionally dropping a ball they should have caught simply to induce a double or triple play. The infield fly rule can be called when three conditions are met. On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an. Letting a popfly go uncaught even if it is tactically sound is very unbaseballlike, and the infield fly rule exists to just simulate the result of that play if everyone was being baseballlike, and not make the baserunners look like idiots not part of the reason, btw. 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. Little league coaches struggle to understand it, and the rule has even mystified professional managers at times. The infield fly rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in the game of baseball. The umpire who was at the center of an infield fly dispute during the 2012 nl wildcard game between atlanta and st. New york the umpire who was at the center of an infield fly dispute during the 2012 national league wildcard game between the braves and cardinals will be the crew chief when the braves and. Major league baseball s official playing rules committee has opted to alter baseball s definition of the infield fly rule following a contested play late in the 2012 season that baffled. 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. The infield fly rule, which, to my knowledge, is in effect in all levels of baseball not just mlb, is designed to prevent the defense from getting a cheap double or tripleplay by intentionally dropping or letting an infield fly drop to the gro.
And it illustrates how the rule, as necessary as it may be, isnt always black and white. To understand the full controversy behind this infield fly, you have to understand all of the circumstances. And, just in case there could be confusion, the rulebook stipulates that the p and c. The rules have evolved from the original knickerbocker rules in 1845, to the first set of national league rules in 1877. The infield fly rule takes effect on a fair fly ball that, in the judgment of the umpire, can be caught by an infielder, pitcher, or catcher with ordinary effort and when there are runners on first and second or first, second, and third and less than two outs. Everything you always wanted to know about the infield fly. On what was supposed to be a historic night, mlbs firstever wildcard game will be remembered for a controversial infield fly rule call. Chipper jones chipper jones is a switch hitter from florida who finished his career with a. Everything you always wanted to know about the infield fly rule new, 963 comments but were afraid to look up. Case book material is printed in smaller type than the rule language and is labeled as comment. In defense of baseballs infield fly rule the atlantic.
Brian sits down with 28yr major league umpire jim evans to talk about the infamous infield fly call in the 2012 national league wild card game between the st. The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the. Infield fly rule call mars cardinalsbraves wildcard game the cardinals just beat the braves in the firstever national league wildcard game, but it will go down in history for a different reason. 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. The rule continues, when it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an infield fly, the umpire shall immediately declare infield fly for the benefit of the runners. 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. 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. My interpretation of the mlb rule is that the batted ball is treated like a caught flyball whether the ball is caught or not, so the runners must retouch their base before advancing. It is one of the most misunderstood rules in the game. The questionable infieldfly call was the correct ruling. The 2012 national league wild card game was a playin game during major league baseball s mlb 2012 postseason played between the national leagues nl two wild card teams, the st. It was held at turner field in atlanta, on october 5, 2012, at 5.
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