Calling The Infield Fly
by Richard B. Siegel
Timing the Call
It's not hard to miss an Infield Fly Rule, or "IFR," call. I have probably worked as many as fifteen consecutive games without seeing an Infield Fly. It only happens maybe once per game. So when it does, you might forget to anticipate it. Or, maybe you remembered and started thinking about the call as the ball was hit, but your moment of indecision allowed the ball to land. It is important to remember that the rule is not enacted by the umpire's declaration of the IFR. The IFR invokes itself. Your goal is to make the call as the ball is on it's way down. However, do not fall under the misconception that failing to make the call "in time," revokes the ruling from the play! Do not rescind your enforcement of the rule if you didn't announce the call. The game situation that caused baseball to design the IFR is so grossly unfair to the offense, that you must enforce it, even if you enforce it late.In one of the first games I umpired, I forgot to "declare" the IFR. Of course the ball was dropped and all the runners began running. Baseballs were thrown all over the place and everybody scored. With a very upset defensive coach barking in my face, I quickly found out umpiring wasn't so easy. However, since the ball wasn't hit too high, I told him the ball was, in my judgment, a "line drive." Accepting that he couldn't argue with "my judgment," he left me alone. Lucky for me, I sold that explanation, but you may not always be as fortunate. As a new umpire, I thought I could no longer enforce the rule because I had "missed" the call. So I offered that excuse to get out of the embarrassing spot. However, I've since learned that I could have still enforced the rule.
As a new umpire, you might allow play to proceed after a hit that was an Infield Fly. You may have, honestly, just plain forgot to recognize it. After the play, when the coach of the team disadvantaged by the missed call complains, you can still fix it! If the hit was borderline between a pop-up and a line drive, you might get away with "judging" it to be a line drive. If it was a difficult ball to catch, you might say that the catch required more than ordinary effort. But don't put your need to avoid embarrassment ahead of getting the right call on the play. Use the "line drive" or "difficult" catch reasons only when you honestly feel they reflect the reality of the play. Don't compromise you creditability by refusing to admit you missed the call.
When the coach of the team disadvantaged by the "missed" IFR call complains, if you suddenly realize he is right, you could avoid some embarrassment by stating, "I called it and no one heard me, next time I'll scream louder." Then fix things out on the bases.
You might realize you forgot about the IFR yourself. Even at the moment the infield fly ball hits the dirt, if the light bulb suddenly goes on in your head, and you recognize the hit is an Infield Fly, you can still enforce it, even then. If the infield fly ball drops without your call, if runners start running, because they think they are forced, and the fielders start to make a play on one of them, you cannot let the play continue. In a youth league game, in the absence of your call, you cannot expect players to know it was an Infield Fly. Call time. Announce that the hit was an Infield fly. Declare the batter out and send the runners back to their bases at the time of the pitch.
When You Screw Up The IFR Call
I work very hard on maintaining my concentration during every game to, hopefully, avoid forgetting any kind of ruling. The oversight of missing an IFR call, in particular, is especially emotionally charged, because of the potentially fruitful base hit the IFR seems to be stealing from the offense. If you call the IFR while the ball is in flight, it seems like the batter is being retiring on a play that hasn't even been made yet. Or worse, if the ball was not caught, it seems like you're retiring a batter on a play that was never made at all! Furthermore, with at least two runners on base, and less than two outs, that fly ball could have been a very productive base hit, had it not been lofted over the infield. In a youth league baseball game only half of the pop-ups you will judge catchable with ordinary effort, will actually be caught. In the absence of a properly timed IFR call, when that pop-up hits the dirt, there is going to be a lot of commotion. So it is a good idea to prepare yourself for the possibly when you might forget to make the IFR call.
First off, remember that your failure to call it does not prevent you from enforcing it. The rules of baseball do not allow umpires to nullify legal plays. However, failing to enforce the IFR on a clearly routine fly ball, when the IFR is viable, could trigger a protest of the game. The rules allow the umpire to "reverse his decision" upon a misapplication of the rules. Rule 4.19 (c.2). If you allow a batter to stay on base, when the IFR should have been enforced, it will probably provoke one of the managers to complain. Depending on the outcome of the play, it could be a "wash." But it is quite likely that one team could be seriously disadvantaged. The rules urge all league officials to do whatever it takes to avoid a protest. Rule 4.19 (f) Note 2. Therefore, when you forget to enforce the IFR call, you have to be prepared to rectify the situation.
Once the play ends, if an ignored IFR situation is pointed out to you, and you agree that you missed it, (assuming a pitch hasn't been thrown to the next batter, or there has been no further play) immediately declare the batter out. If any other runners were put out on the play as the result of a force out that the dropped ball created, restore them to the base and nullify the out. However, if runners advanced safely, whether the ball was caught or not, leave them where they are. Their advance might have happened even if you were "on time" with the IFR call.
Do not be coerced by an upset coach into giving back the pitch or the play. In baseball there are no do-overs, or anything like it. If you allow anything like that, you're making up your own rules and you're only asking for trouble. If the defensive coach beefs when you restore those runners to their bases, explain to him that he would expect you to do this if the situation were reversed and his team was on the short end of your ruling.
Richard Siegel umpires in New Jersey. For more information on him [click here]
From the Editor
rather than by lawyers for lawyers"
.... Bill Klem
Bases loaded, 1 out. It happens to the best of them. It was July 2, 1934 when Klem failed to call the Infield Fly rule in the seventh inning of a 4-1 game, Cubs over Cardinals. The Cardinal catcher, Bill Delancey, made a valiant effort to catch the ball but Wrigley Fields high winds carried the ball beyond his grasp into fair territory. Klem argued that the ball could not be caught "with ordinary effort" but National League president John Heydler ruled otherwise and the protest was upheld.
Heydler ruled that the "batsman is automatically out when the ball falls into the infield." Even Heydler was wrong for nothing in the rule book requires the ball to be caught by and infielder or land in the infield. Klem's comment, quoted above, was in response to this very well publicized incident.
It would be some thirty years later when shortstop Larry Bova would drift over sixty feet into the outfield to catch an "Infield Fly" only to be waved off by left fielder Larry Kuzinski who ultimately misplayed the ball. The Infield Fly still stood and the batter remained out.
The crux of the aplication seems to be to avoid the defense gaining an unfair advantage by creating a double play. If the umpires fail to call an obvious infield fly situation and it results in only one out, professional protocol has been to let the out stand. If it resulted in a double play, professional protocol has been to correct the situation.
The bottom line : signal the Infield Fly as the ball arcs over the top and starts the downward part of its flight path. Do not consider where the fielders are or whether they can make a play "with ordinary effort." Making that determination can often cause hesitation, and lead to the signal not being given. If the ball is remotely near the lines add "if fair." Calling the batter out can now wait until the ball has settled fair or foul. Be certain if the ball is in foul territory and is not caught to declare a simple "foul ball." As the level of play improves so will the height of the pop-up and well as the positioning of the fielders.
See the ball, make the call .... (hopefully)
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