FED 5.1.1 j

[sthomas13100]

I missed this on my rest:

5.1.1 j .....Ball becomes dead immediately when: j. an infielder intentionally drops a fair fly, fair line drive or fair bunt in flight with at least first base occupied and with less than two outs.

I have never seen this applied in a game.  I know intentionally dropping a line drive is a dead ball, but I did not know there was any violation to intentionally drop a fly or a bunt with first base occupied????

Am I missing something?  Any insight would be appreciated.

[noumpere]

28 minutes ago, sthomas13100 said:

Am I missing something? 

Not any more.

 

(It's more common on a line drive because that provides the most opportunity for a DP if the umpire doesn't enforce the rule.  With a fly ball, the BR *should* be at first by the time the drop occurs -- but the rule is there in case the BR isn't.)

[umpstu]

34 minutes ago, sthomas13100 said:

I missed this on my rest:

5.1.1 j .....Ball becomes dead immediately when: j. an infielder intentionally drops a fair fly, fair line drive or fair bunt in flight with at least first base occupied and with less than two outs.

I have never seen this applied in a game.  I know intentionally dropping a line drive is a dead ball, but I did not know there was any violation to intentionally drop a fly or a bunt with first base occupied????

Am I missing something?  Any insight would be appreciated.

Might possibly be a situation in which runners would be forced to run.  Now if a fielder were to just let the ball fall untouched in that situation the runner would be liable to be put out. I've had to call it in a few instances through the years.  It happens.

[umpstu]

4 minutes ago, noumpere said:

Not any more.

 

(It's more common on a line drive because that provides the most opportunity for a DP if the umpire doesn't enforce the rule.  With a fly ball, the BR *should* be at first by the time the drop occurs -- but the rule is there in case the BR isn't.)

Exactly.

[maven]

21 hours ago, sthomas13100 said:

I have never seen this applied in a game.  I know intentionally dropping a line drive is a dead ball, but I did not know there was any violation to intentionally drop a fly or a bunt with first base occupied????

Note that the conditions of application for this rule can overlap with IFF, when 1B and 2B are occupied and the batter hits an infield fly. In that case: the BR is out, and all force plays are off, per the IFF rule. If a fielder intentionally drops the ball, we'd also kill it, per this rule.

But this rule can protect the offense with runners on 1B & 2B or bases loaded, when the batter hits a line drive at an infielder. Runners freeze on a line drive (or bunt pop up), so the defense could set up an easy double (or triple) play.

Similar protection as IFF, but different conditions of application.

Finally: for newer umpires (or those who otherwise have never heard of this rule), the term "intentionally drop" means that a fielder touches the fly ball with hand or glove, but then allows it to fall to the ground. Intentionally allowing a fly ball to fall to the ground at one's feet without ever touching it does not trigger this rule. A "drop" here requires touching the fly ball.

[Jimurray]

1 hour ago, maven said:

Note that the conditions of application for this rule can overlap with IFF, when 1B and 2B are occupied and the batter hits an infield fly. In that case: the BR is out, and all force plays are off, per the IFF rule. If a fielder intentionally drops the ball, we'd also kill it, per this rule.

But this rule can protect the offense with runners on 1B & 2B or bases loaded, when the batter hits a line drive at an infielder. Runners freeze on a line drive (or bunt pop up), so the defense could set up an easy double (or triple) play.

Similar protection as IFF, but different conditions of application.

Finally: for newer umpires (or those who otherwise have never heard of this rule), the term "intentionally drop" means that a fielder touches the fly ball with hand or glove, but then allows it to fall to the ground. Intentionally allowing a fly ball to fall to the ground at one's feet without ever touching it does not trigger this rule. A "drop" here requires touching the fly ball.

I was new to FED and watched a game where F6 dropped the infield fly to deke the offense. Nobody bit and it was properly called as an IFF. I knew the OBR references but wanted to see the FED cite. Imagine my surprise when I read 5-1-j:

 

“j. an infielder intentionally drops a fair fly, fair line drive or fair bunt in flight with at least first base occupied and with less than two outs. “

 This was the year FED left out the:

“EXCEPTION: Infield-fly rule (2-19).”

in their book, circa middle 2000-2010. 

[lawump]

Not high school, but a prime example:  (BTW, Mike Lowell is now a high school baseball coach in Florida.  I had them in a spring break tournament in South Carolina this past year.  Good guy.)  I play this video in my association every year to teach this rule.  I playfully teased him about it during a pitching change.