Fielder Intentionally Dropping A Fly Ball
Bill Owen from Marathon, FL asks:
I am a runner on first nobody out. Batter pops up to infield. Can I advance without fear of infielder intentionally dropping ball for force out at second. If fielder catches popup am I allowed to return to first.
The ruling on this situation depends on what the fielder does. If the fielder intentionally drops the ball (e.g. lets it hit the pocket of his glove and then allows it to fall out) then the ball is dead, the batter is out, and the runner(s) return to his or her original base. This applies whenever there is a force play at any base other then first.
However, the batter will not be called out if the fielder allows the ball to touch the ground untouched and the play will continue as usual, unless an infield fly has been called, in which case the infield fly rule would proceed as usual.
Answered by: Jonathan Bravo
Keywords: Infielder, MLB Rule 6.05(l)