Explaining the Infield Fly Rule

Video Transcript

"Let's talk about the infield fly. Another quirky little situation in baseball that rarely happens but when it does is often very misunderstood. What the infield fly rule means is that the ball has been hit into the air within the field of play over the infield. What happens in this situation and the reason this rule is in effect is because the runners who are on base cannot advance until a pop fly has been caught by the fielder. If there is a runner on first, a runner on first and second, or a runner on first and third, that means you are in a force out situation and the runner has to run when the ball is hit in the infield. If the ball is hit on the ground he has to run anyway. If the ball is tossed to second base before that runner makes it to second base, it's an out; you then throw it to first base for a double play. The infield fly rule is in effect because a fielder on the infield could theoretically allow a pop fly to hit the ground, toss it to the second baseman who would then toss it to the first baseman for an easy double play. The infield fly rule is in effect to prevent that from happening. It can only happen if there is a situation with less than two outs in the inning, there's a runner on first base, a runner on first and second, or a runner on first and third creating a force out situation for a double play. Then the ball has to be hit within the field of play over the infield. It can sometimes be left up to the umpire's discretion if it's hit over the lip of the grass or sometimes travels a little bit further into the outfield. That's a basic overview of the infield fly rule and why it's in effect."