The infield fly call- solution

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   After listening to Harold Reynolds describe what he saw in the play, I understand why the umpire made the call he did, but I have come to a conclusion.

If the infield fly rule is called, and the fielder does not catch the ball....the batter should be awarded first base. If the fielder drops the ball after being told it's a can of corn, it's his problem, not the batter's. No play should be assumed to be so easy that the player is automatically out. Just like you can't assume a double play will be made on a tailor made double play ball, you shouldn't assume the infielder will catch a fly ball, simply because he's in position to make the play. Errors happen. The easiest pop-ups get dropped. Guys trip over their own feet. Other players bump into them. Birds fly in the path of the ball. Sh*t happens.

Think of it like a fair catch in football. The returner signals for the fair catch, the defense has to give him space to catch the ball, BUT HE STILL HAS TO CATCH THE BALL. If he muffs it, his team pays the price, not the kicking team.

A hitter should never be called out when the play is not made, unless someone on the offense interfered with the play.

Major League Baseball really, really needs to change this rule.

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lvtdude Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2004 Posts: 954	Quote Reply Topic: The infield fly call- solution Posted: 05 Oct 2012 at 11:01pm
	After listening to Harold Reynolds describe what he saw in the play, I understand why the umpire made the call he did, but I have come to a conclusion. If the infield fly rule is called, and the fielder does not catch the ball....the batter should be awarded first base. If the fielder drops the ball after being told it's a can of corn, it's his problem, not the batter's. No play should be assumed to be so easy that the player is automatically out. Just like you can't assume a double play will be made on a tailor made double play ball, you shouldn't assume the infielder will catch a fly ball, simply because he's in position to make the play. Errors happen. The easiest pop-ups get dropped. Guys trip over their own feet. Other players bump into them. Birds fly in the path of the ball. Sh*t happens. Think of it like a fair catch in football. The returner signals for the fair catch, the defense has to give him space to catch the ball, BUT HE STILL HAS TO CATCH THE BALL. If he muffs it, his team pays the price, not the kicking team. A hitter should never be called out when the play is not made, unless someone on the offense interfered with the play. Major League Baseball really, really needs to change this rule.

astrosfanatic Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 670	Quote Reply Posted: 06 Oct 2012 at 7:16am
	i've always thought the infield fly rule was in place to prevent teams from doubling off the runners that are on base. from that perspective, the rule does have it's merits and should be called. The problem was that the call was made extremely late, and the SS wasn't even under the ball when the call was made. This whole situation is just another reason why it should be a 3-game playoff instead of a single game elimination. It's too long of a season for a team's fate to be decided by one game. As much as i truly abhor the Cardinals, i can't really be upset with the call because the Cards played better and deserved to win the game anyways. Freeman and Ross were the only 2 guys to show up last night for the Braves, and so the results are what they are. The Cards get the privilege of playing the best team in the NL all year long. I am really looking forward to the playoffs this season. It should be a good October

lvtdude Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2004 Posts: 954	Quote Reply Posted: 06 Oct 2012 at 10:12am
	A friend and I have been debating the merits of the infield fly rule since last night. Regardless of how the rule is written, the umpires should have gotten together last night and determined there was no way anybody should have been out under the circumstances.