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Infield fly, droped 3rd


catchman
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Yep.........all those really good umps in the stands. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

Let me share what I think is a funny story from about 40 years ago.

My uncle was a TSSAA official, ump, and ref for a really long long time.

Anyway when I was kid he took me and his son to a baseball game he was calling.

 

There was this guy that was just getting on him every pitch, every play, every call.

In about the 3rd inning he called TIME!

 

Took off his mask and made his way outside the fence, walked to the stands, went into the stands, sit down next to the guy, looked at him and said......................

 

Man, you're right; you can see better from here.

PLAY BALL!

 

The guy was really embarrassed. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

 

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

That is priceless! /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

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Your right but spectators mostly think that if it hits dirt that's what makes the difference.

 

unfortunatly so do some umpires...when my 17 year old was in a 13 year old tournament we had that situation come up so when the kid struck out i told him to run and the ump said he caught it and i asked when is a ball that hits the dirt a catch so he saw my point and asked his boss and told me i was wrong LOL i said if you want to continue to call it wrong go ahead but it has to be a clean catch

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unfortunatly so do some umpires...when my 17 year old was in a 13 year old tournament we had that situation come up so when the kid struck out i told him to run and the ump said he caught it and i asked when is a ball that hits the dirt a catch so he saw my point and asked his boss and told me i was wrong LOL i said if you want to continue to call it wrong go ahead but it has to be a clean catch

 

I had a friend call me when he saw this happen at a summer game. 0-2 count on batter. batting team down 1 in last inning, needing a base runner badly. On next pitch, pitchers had hits her hip as she is releasing the ball and it goes in the dirt and rolls towards the catcher but a few feet up the line. Very smart batter swings and sprints to first. Runner safe, dropped third strike!!!!

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I had a friend call me when he saw this happen at a summer game. 0-2 count on batter. batting team down 1 in last inning, needing a base runner badly. On next pitch, pitchers had hits her hip as she is releasing the ball and it goes in the dirt and rolls towards the catcher but a few feet up the line. Very smart batter swings and sprints to first. Runner safe, dropped third strike!!!!

 

lol that is a very smart batter

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I had a friend call me when he saw this happen at a summer game. 0-2 count on batter. batting team down 1 in last inning, needing a base runner badly. On next pitch, pitchers had hits her hip as she is releasing the ball and it goes in the dirt and rolls towards the catcher but a few feet up the line. Very smart batter swings and sprints to first. Runner safe, dropped third strike!!!!

 

I would have loved to of seen that! I bet everyone was looking around like what happened? I love when kids think the game! I had an ump argue with me about a pitch that hit the dirt in front of the plate and the batter swung. He called a BALL! We all know there are umps that don't know half the rules. Don't get me wrong you have crazy situations happen all the time and some things aren't so black and white in the book but not knowing simple rules like dropped 3rd, pitch hitting the dirt and stuff like that just blows my mind.

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Rule 2.00 (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. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire??™s judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.

When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk.

 

Note: Infield Fly only applies on fair balls. If the ball is dropped in foul territory, then it's just a foul ball.

"Infield Fly if Fair!!

 

A pitched ball that hits the dirt is not a clean catch.

If 1st base is occupied they don't have to throw unless there are two outs. Must tag or throw the runner out for 3rd out.

If 1st base is not occupied, they must tag or throw the runner out any other time.

 

Did I repeat what you said? /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

Had an umpire last season to make this call:runners on 1st and 2nd - 1 out batter pops up to 3rd in the infield grass runners take off (not paying attention to the call ) then call comes INFIELD FLY "DEAD BALL"BATTER OUT 3rd baseman misses the ball ball hits his foot and rolls about 10 ft. from him 1 run scores other is on third Umpire sticks with the call and makes the runners return to 1st and 2nd despite the arguement that followed!!

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Had an umpire last season to make this call:runners on 1st and 2nd - 1 out batter pops up to 3rd in the infield grass runners take off (not paying attention to the call ) then call comes INFIELD FLY "DEAD BALL"BATTER OUT 3rd baseman misses the ball ball hits his foot and rolls about 10 ft. from him 1 run scores other is on third Umpire sticks with the call and makes the runners return to 1st and 2nd despite the arguement that followed!!

 

 

Umpire's mistake was including "Dead Ball".

Runners can't advance on Dead Ball.

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It is a hard judgement call, but being in or out of the infield dirt has nothing to do with it.

You could have an infielder playing deep and a fly ball could be caught with ordinary effort several steps in the grass.

It's simply could/should it be caught with ordinary effort.

 

 

I used to umpire quite a bit and was very good at it too. This situation brings up a play that happened to me one time and the fans went wild on it. I was umpiring a little league all-star game. At the time, the field umpires were eligible to call the infield fly. We were working a 2 man crew and there were runners on first and second. I was set up behind the short stop in the grass so I could keep up with the lead runner and stay out of the infield. The batter hit a towering fly ball that was going to fall about 5 feet into the grass behind second base. The short stop ran over and called the ball and was sitting there waiting on it to come down. I called "infield fly". The short stop and I saw the center fielder flying in and he was yelling that he had it. The short stop stepped to his right a couple of steps to allow the outfielder to catch it. The outfielder didn't get there in time so the ball fell to the ground and all HECK broke lose in the stands. Both runners took off running, the fans were yelling, and the coaches on the offensive team came running out screaming at me. The lead runner got thrown out going to third. The coaches were saying that because the ball was hit into the outfield grass it counldn't be an infield fly. Needless to say, it took a couple of minutes to get everyone calmed down. I know I made the right call because the short stop had time to camp under the ball and then move, but the fans and the coach really thought I had blown the call. Just another example of no one (including the runners) knowing what the rules are or why they are in place.

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I would have loved to of seen that! I bet everyone was looking around like what happened? I love when kids think the game! I had an ump argue with me about a pitch that hit the dirt in front of the plate and the batter swung. He called a BALL! We all know there are umps that don't know half the rules. Don't get me wrong you have crazy situations happen all the time and some things aren't so black and white in the book but not knowing simple rules like dropped 3rd, pitch hitting the dirt and stuff like that just blows my mind.

 

 

Here's another situation that was unbelievably funny after it was over but I got abused from the stands over it during a minor league game. The batter took a full cut at the ball and got just a piece of it. The ball hit the plate and bounced about 6 feet in the air. As the ball came straight back down the catcher, still in a full squat in the catchers box, reached out with his mit and trapped the ball on top of the plate.

 

I walked from behind the plate, removed my mask and signalled a fair ball by pointing out onto the field. The catcher picked the ball up, threw it back to the pitcher. The batter took his position in the batter's box for the next pitch, the pitcher looked in to get the signal from the catcher and I was still standing out by the plate signalling fair ball. All this time, none of the coaches had a clue what was going on.

 

At that point I figured it was pretty even odds for the offense and the defense so I leaned over between the batter and the catcher and whispered, "that was a fair ball". The batter took off running and the catcher started yelling at the pitcher to throw it to first. The ball beat the runner to first by about a step.....AND THE FANS WENT WILD as did the coaches.

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Here's another situation that was unbelievably funny after it was over but I got abused from the stands over it during a minor league game. The batter took a full cut at the ball and got just a piece of it. The ball hit the plate and bounced about 6 feet in the air. As the ball came straight back down the catcher, still in a full squat in the catchers box, reached out with his mit and trapped the ball on top of the plate.

 

I walked from behind the plate, removed my mask and signalled a fair ball by pointing out onto the field. The catcher picked the ball up, threw it back to the pitcher. The batter took his position in the batter's box for the next pitch, the pitcher looked in to get the signal from the catcher and I was still standing out by the plate signalling fair ball. All this time, none of the coaches had a clue what was going on.

 

At that point I figured it was pretty even odds for the offense and the defense so I leaned over between the batter and the catcher and whispered, "that was a fair ball". The batter took off running and the catcher started yelling at the pitcher to throw it to first. The ball beat the runner to first by about a step.....AND THE FANS WENT WILD as did the coaches.

 

 

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

Alot of folks don't realize home plate itself is fair territory. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

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I know it's confusing but the easiest way to remember is you have to physically make the 3rd out. You have to tag her or get it to the base first. So many people argue about the 3rd out/drop 3rd strike.

 

 

Also worth noting--in the two out/first occupied scenario, the defense can also make the third out by a force play. So if the catcher blocks it in the dirt and tags the plate, that's good enough if the bases are loaded. (A runner caught napping on that play could also be the third out.)

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