What Is the Infield Fly Rule in Major League Baseball?

The Infield Fly Rule is one of the most important and controversial rules in Major League Baseball. It’s designed to prevent fielders from purposely dropping easy pop-ups in order to turn a double play.

What is the Infield Fly Rule?

Infield fly is a rule of baseball that treats certain fly balls as if they were caught automatically by an infielder. It was devised to stop infielders from purposely dropping easy pop-ups in order to turn a double play.

The Infield Fly Rule applies only when there are fewer than two outs and there are runners on first and second base, or the bases are loaded. If those conditions are met, and a batter hits a fly ball to the infield that could be caught by an infielder with “ordinary effort,” the umpire will call “infield fly,” even if the ball is not caught. The batter is out, but the runners can advance at their own risk, so long as they tag up at first base before the ball is caught (if they don’t, they can be called out too).

When is the Infield Fly Rule Used?

The Infield Fly Rule is used when there are runners on first and second base with fewer than two outs. The batter hits a fly ball into the infield that can easily be caught by an infielder. The Infield Fly Rule is designed to prevent the defense from intentionally dropping the fly ball to get a force out at third base.

Here’s an example of how the Infield Fly Rule would be used:
The bases are loaded with one out. The batter hits a high pop-up into the infield. The shortstop or second baseman could easily catch the ball, but instead they intentionally drop it hoping to get a force out at third base.

The Infield Fly Rule prevents the defense from purposely dropping the ball in this situation. The umpire will call “infield fly,” and the batter is automatically out—even if the ball isn’t caught!

So, why was this rule put into place?
In baseball, the defense always has an advantage over the offense. They know what pitch is coming, they have nine players on the field, and they can position their players wherever they want. Consequently, hits are harder to come by than outs. Anything that evens up the playing field a bit is welcome!

The Infield Fly Rule does just that—it evens up the playing field by taking away an advantage that the defense would normally have in this situation.

What Happens if the Infield Fly Rule is Not Used?

An infield fly is a fair fly ball (not a line drive or bunt) that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second base or first, second, and third base are occupied, before two are out. The umpire shall declare “infield fly” for the benefit of the defense. If the ball is not caught before it touches the ground, it is a foul ball; if it touches the ground in fair territory before passing first or third base, it is an infield hit.Attempts at catches may be made by any fielder; however, once an infield fly is called, fielders other than the pitcher or catcher may not intentionally drop the ball or hand it to another fielder.

If the ball is caught by any fielder with ordinary skill, runners advance as if on an ordinary caught fly: If fewer than two runners were on base at the time of the pitch (including when there are no runners on base), then no runner advances.

What Other Rules Are There in Baseball?

In addition to the infield fly rule, there are many other rules in baseball that can seem confusing to those who don’t often watch or play the sport. Here are a few of the other most important rules:

-The batter must wait for the ball to be pitched before swinging at it. If he swings at a pitch that is outside of the strike zone, it is called a strike. The batter is allowed three strikes before he is out.
-A foul ball is a ball that is hit outside of the foul lines. If a batter hits a foul ball, he is not out, but he only gets one more chance to hit the ball.
-A base runner cannot touch home plate until the batter has hit the ball. If he does, he is out.
-A batted ball that goes over the fence in fair territory is called a home run. All base runners get to score and the batting team gets an extra point.