In Baseball, What is the Infield Fly Rule?
The infield fly rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in the game of baseball. Little league coaches struggle to understand it, and the rule has even mystified professional managers at times. To begin, the infield fly rule can only come into effect if: 1) there is less than two outs in the inning; 2) there are baserunners on first and second base or first, second, and third base; and 3) the batter must hit a fly ball in the infield area. If these three elements are present, the umpire should call “infield fly rule – The batter is out.” At that point, even if an infielder dropped the ball, the batter is still out.
