Forgetful Infield Fly - Reversing Calls Across Levels

[Lindsay]

Umpires reversed an erroneous force out call during an infield fly rule play in Grapefruit League action, scoring a run that had seemingly been nullified just moments earlier. By now, we know what the infield fly rule is and how to communicate when a potential IFR situation occurs, but what happens...

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[Jimurray]

1 hour ago, Gil said:

Umpires reversed an erroneous force out call during an infield fly rule play in Grapefruit League action, scoring a run that had seemingly been nullified just moments earlier. By now, we know what the infield fly rule is and how to communicate when a potential IFR situation occurs, but what happens...

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I advise new umps when calling the infield fly to say to themselves "no force". Don't know if that would have helped in this case if PU did not recognize IFF. 

[zoops]

That one is a head-scratcher.  I can see a point for any of Gil's options.  

[beerguy55]

Seeing that the BU properly called the batter out before the ball was dropped, and R1 and R2 both still immediately ran on the ball dropping, that is on them (I believe I can even hear him calling it).   R2 is in no man's land through his own fault.  Likewise, R2 being tagged out, or even giving up, upon seeing the phantom third out is on him entirely.  He has to know that the infield fly negates the force, regardless of the error PU made - he shouldn't have been running anyway.

I just disagree with giving the run.  

With the ball dropping in front of home plate, there's no way R3 is going to try to advance.  R2 is in no man's land, and is likely going to be out...not to mention, he could have been called for abandonment long before the tag was applied - even before F1 threw to F4, which was certainly before R3 crossed home plate.

 

I would only support the reset option (batter out, runners return) if nobody had signaled IFF, and it was only applied at the end of the play - it's one thing to know an IFF situation exists, it's another to know the judgment of the umpires...and even if all criteria are present for an IFF "ordinary effort" is still a judgment call - punishing a runner for advancing when he has every reason to believe the umpire has ruled against "ordinary effort" and judged no IFF, thereby forcing him to advance, would be compounding the mistake.