June 6, 2010
The Infield Fly rule can be tough to follow
by Rich Marazzi/
Braves catcher Brian McCann learned the Infield Fly rule the hard way.
“I don’t know the whole rule,” said Braves catcher Brian McCann when discussing the Infield Fly rule following the Mets-Braves game at Citi Field on April 23. Several players during the same play demonstrated ignorance of the rule, which has more layers than an onion.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mets had a 3-2 lead with Angel Pagan on second and Luis Castillo on first. Jose Reyes lofted a Takashi Saito pitch into the wind between third and short. The umpires called the Infield Fly rule and Reyes was automatically out, but the ball remained in play and the runners had the right to run at their own risk.
Third baseman Chipper Jones cut in front of shortstop Omar Infante as both converged on the ball. The ball glanced off Jones near the mound and caromed to McCann, who saw Reyes standing on first base – even though he was already out. Pagan and Castillo both moved up a base on the play at this point.
McCann, erroneously thinking that Castillo, the runner on first, had to tag up on the play, started to walk down the first-base line. He flipped the ball to first baseman Eric Hinske, who tagged the bag and Reyes, who was already out.
While this was going on, Pagan alertly sprinted home from third as McCann left the plate unprotected. He made a head-first slide to beat Hinske’s return throw to Jones. The Mets went on to win the contest, 5-2.
Not only was McCann confused, Pagan wasn’t aware that the runners could run on the play. He took off because of the instructions of third-base coach Chip Hale. Pagan said, “I knew the batter was out, but I didn’t know you could run. I’m glad I learned that.”
Whenever the Infield Fly rule is invoked, the batter is out. The runners are not required to run should the ball fall to the ground but they can run at their own risk and should be ready to run in case a fly ball is botched or the wind carries the ball away from the fielders. Often times, runners are in a relaxed position and not ready to run. They should be in a tag-up position should the opportunity develop.
If the ball is caught, runners must tag up like they would on any fly ball. If the ball is not caught, runners need not tag up and if they run, they must be tagged to be put out since the batter never reaches first base to force runners to advance. Although it resembles a force play, it’s not a force play.
The Infield Fly rule is called when there are runners on first and second, or first, second and third with less than two out and the batter hits a fly ball that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort. Keep in mind that an outfielder can make the catch. The rule, which has been around since 1895, is designed to protect runners from deceitful acts by infielders who might purposely drop a fly ball or allow a fly ball to fall to the ground untouched. Since the runners are frozen, the defensive team could easily pick up a double play or triple play. Wind can be a factor for the umpires in making the judgment to call the Infield Fly, but too much sun is not a factor.
As stated, runners do not have to run when the umpires call “Infield Fly.” Confusion over this aspect of the rule got St. Louis star Albert Pujols in trouble on April 8 at Great American Park in Cincinnati during the Reds’ 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.
In the top of the first inning, the Cardinals had Skip Schumaker on second and Pujols on first with one out when Matt Holliday hit a high popup in the area of Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips. Second-base umpire Mike Reilly signaled the Infield Fly by raising his right arm. It appeared that Phillips would be able to make a routine catch with ordinary effort until the wind shifted the ball to his right, dropping into shallow right field. Pujols took off for second base and Schumaker headed to third. Phillips quickly retrieved the ball and threw to second, where shortstop Orlando Cabrera touched the bag and subsequently tagged Pujols for a double play. Did Cabrera think it was a force before he tagged Pujols?
Did Pujols think he was forced to run to second because Phillips did not catch the ball? I think so, but Tony LaRussa defended his players by saying, “The guys didn’t hear it [Reilly’s call].”
