How often do you actually call an Infield Fly?

[Umpy]

I exclusively help out with my local Little League these days and I was thinking to myself that I can't remember the last time I've actually had an Infield Fly when the Infield Fly rule is in effect.  Lots of fly balls to the infield, but never when the infield fly rule is in effect.  Lots of times where my partner and I will signal the infield fly rule is in effect, and then on the next pitch (aka the next passed ball) everyone safely advances.

Is this just Little League? Are Infield Fly calls common at other levels?  I actually tried doing some searches to see if I could find how frequently Infield Fly is called in MLB but I've had no luck finding any stats online about it.

So informal survey, how often do you call someone out on an infield fly (if fair)?

[wolfe_man]

I'd say about once every five games on average.   The situation comes up more frequently, but seldom is there a pop-up to an infielder during those situations.  

[834k3r]

10 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

I'd say about once every five games on average.   The situation comes up more frequently, but seldom is there a pop-up to an infielder during those situations.  

I'd say this is about what it is for me, too.

[noumpere]

50 minutes ago, Umpy said:

So informal survey, how often do you call someone out on an infield fly (if fair)?

Almost never.

 

To be an Infield Fly, the ball must be capable of being caught by an Infielder (with ordinary effort etc.)

An Infielder is someone stationed within the Infield.

The border of the Infield is defined by a line between the Bases.

So, unless the Infielders are "playing in", the conditions for the Infield Fly are rarely met.

[SeeingEyeDog]

When it happens? Well...every time, of course...😎

How often does it happen? Yeah, once every 4 or 5 games is about right...

A lot of this has to do with the level of baseball and the ages and abilities of the players. @Umpy, you said you're working LL. That could be 8 year olds to 18 year olds. The little guys will usually, foul pitches off and back and not usually up and into fair territory to a place where the ball could be fielded with "ordinary effort", IMHO...

When I coached LL, I don't think I saw a ball hit beyond the IF grass on any trajectory until I was coaching 10 year olds...

~Dawg

[BigBlue4u]

1 hour ago, Umpy said:

I exclusively help out with my local Little League these days and I was thinking to myself that I can't remember the last time I've actually had an Infield Fly when the Infield Fly rule is in effect.  Lots of fly balls to the infield, but never when the infield fly rule is in effect.  Lots of times where my partner and I will signal the infield fly rule is in effect, and then on the next pitch (aka the next passed ball) everyone safely advances.

Is this just Little League? Are Infield Fly calls common at other levels?  I actually tried doing some searches to see if I could find how frequently Infield Fly is called in MLB but I've had no luck finding any stats online about it.

So informal survey, how often do you call someone out on an infield fly (if fair)?

At your level, probably the most important thing to remember with the IFF is that if it is dropped, or lands and remains in fair territory, runners MUST be tagged.  The force is off since the batter is automatically out.  I mention this because at your level, I have seen this often messed up when a fielder tags the base, thinking it's a force, rather than tagging the runner.

[maven]

16 hours ago, noumpere said:

Almost never.

 

To be an Infield Fly, the ball must be capable of being caught by an Infielder (with ordinary effort etc.)

An Infielder is someone stationed within the Infield.

The border of the Infield is defined by a line between the Bases.

So, unless the Infielders are "playing in", the conditions for the Infield Fly are rarely met.

For those unfamiliar with 1990's bulletin board customs, a blue font was often used to signal irony. This post is a facetious rendition of rules that seem to make IFF's quite rare.

[ArchAngel72]

17 hours ago, noumpere said:

Almost never.

 

To be an Infield Fly, the ball must be capable of being caught by an Infielder (with ordinary effort etc.)

An Infielder is someone stationed within the Infield.

The border of the Infield is defined by a line between the Bases.

So, unless the Infielders are "playing in", the conditions for the Infield Fly are rarely met.

🤨  

A player with his heels on the outfield grass is still an infielder correct?  I would go so far as to even say both feet on the grass within 3 feet or so of dirt.

 

[ArchAngel72]

But for OP yeah probably 1 in 8 games.  We seem to have the situation come up to be possible probably 10 or more times a game however an actual fly ball in the infield is well rare as pastballs are like 80% of the time

[maven]

48 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

🤨  

A player with his heels on the outfield grass is still an infielder correct?  I would go so far as to even say both feet on the grass within 3 feet or so of dirt.

 

The IFF rule references the player (infield) not the location (infield). An infielder who goes out to the short outfield and catches an pop up with ordinary effort is still catching an IFF (see a World Series Game from a few years ago—Cardinals, IIRC).

[ArchAngel72]

47 minutes ago, maven said:

The IFF rule references the player (infield) not the location (infield). An infielder who goes out to the short outfield and catches an pop up with ordinary effort is still catching an IFF (see a World Series Game from a few years ago—Cardinals, IIRC).

Yeah we were told this also ( Ie an infielder playing like a shift )

We were also told if an outfielder moved into the very short outfield like a shift position they were also considered an infielder for the purpose of IFF because IFF is there to protect the offense not help the defense.

 

[noumpere]

5 hours ago, ArchAngel72 said:

🤨  

A player with his heels on the outfield grass is still an infielder correct?  I would go so far as to even say both feet on the grass within 3 feet or so of dirt.

 

I  gave the (paraphrased but accurate) definitions right out of OBR.

I'd encourage all to call it exactly as written because that' the way to get a rule changed.

[ArchAngel72]

31 minutes ago, noumpere said:

I  gave the (paraphrased but accurate) definitions right out of OBR.

I'd encourage all to call it exactly as written because that' the way to get a rule changed.

well here it is from the LL rule book where I am calling it from 

 

no where there does it say they cannot be on the grass  or play deep on the infield

 

and I say this because there are at least probably 1 or 2 times a game where a F4 or F6 may dive for a ball on the grass outside of the dirt ... which makes that an area "normally covered by" 

 

 

[Velho]

23 hours ago, noumpere said:

So, unless the Infielders are "playing in", the conditions for the Infield Fly are rarely met.

To be persnickety, in OBR now with the shift rules all Infielders have to be entirely with the infield. So there has to be a minimum of 6 "Infielders".

[MadMax]

2 hours ago, Velho said:

So there has to be a minimum of 6 "Infielders".

[as a career-long Catcher] “Whoa. Who ya callin’ “infielder”, bub? I’m not one of them. I start in foul territory, TYVM.” 

[noumpere]

OBR:

An INFIELDER is a fielder who occupies a position in the infield

The infield shall be a 90-foot square

 

 

[Velho]

20 hours ago, noumpere said:

The infield shall be a 90-foot square

"provided, however, that the grass line of the outer boundary of the infield dirt shall be a 95-foot radius from the center of the pitcher’s plate."

We have "infield dirt" that is not in the "infield" 

[UmpAgain]

Last year in a LL Majors game, I actually got two IFFs in a single inning.  Check that office the umpire bucket list.

 

-Steve

[love to ump]

If you are doing U10....no matter how loud you call out the Infield Fly, I can guarantee at least 50 per cent of the players, coaches and parents will not hear it!!!

[Velho]

10 hours ago, love to ump said:

If you are doing U10....no matter how loud you call out the Infield Fly, I can guarantee at least 50 per cent of the players, coaches and parents will not hear it!!!

And the half that do hear don't understand the rule and think you applied it to screw them 😁

[Mudisfun]

Had a potential for 2 this weekend... called the first one, and for the 2nd one, high pop fly between F1 and F4 with 3 fielders converging... all 3 stopped and basically said, 'no, you catch it!' as the ball fell untouched, 10' away from each player. Didn't call IFF since all of them stopped playing the ball.

Opps...

[ArchAngel72]

On 4/24/2024 at 5:04 PM, MadMax said:

[as a career-long Catcher] “Whoa. Who ya callin’ “infielder”, bub? I’m not one of them. I start in foul territory, TYVM.” 

 

As a previous Pitcher.. You were a catcher and you still don't know the strike zone?

 

 

 

🤣🤣😂

[MadMax]

32 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

As a previous Pitcher.. You were a catcher… 

🤣🤣😂

Here’s what I think of pitchers… Meat. 

 

[MarsOmega]

I have had 2 infield fly's in one inning during a LL Majors game.

[noumpere]

2 hours ago, Mudisfun said:

Had a potential for 2 this weekend... called the first one, and for the 2nd one, high pop fly between F1 and F4 with 3 fielders converging... all 3 stopped and basically said, 'no, you catch it!' as the ball fell untouched, 10' away from each player. Didn't call IFF since all of them stopped playing the ball.

Opps...

"Opps" [sic] is right.

 

It *could* have been caught with ordinary effort.  It *should* have been called.