The Infield Fly Rule Explained: Conditions, Examples and Myths

The infield fly rule says that when runners are on first and second, or the bases are loaded, with fewer than two outs, a fair pop-up that an infielder can catch with ordinary effort makes the batter automatically out, whether the ball is caught or not. It exists so fielders cannot let an easy pop-up drop on purpose and turn it into a cheap double or triple play.

It is one of the most misunderstood rules in baseball, mostly because the batter is out even when nobody catches the ball. Below is the rule as MLB writes it, why it exists, what happens to the runners, and the mistakes fans (and occasionally announcers) make about it.

The rule as written

The definition sits in the Definitions of Terms section of the Official Baseball Rules (2026 edition): "An INFIELD FLY is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out."

Broken into its parts, every one of these conditions has to be true:

• Runners on first and second, or the bases loaded. A runner on first alone, or runners on first and third, does not qualify.
• Fewer than two outs, meaning none or one.
• A fair fly ball. Line drives and attempted bunts are excluded.
• An infielder could catch it with ordinary effort. For this rule, the pitcher, the catcher and any outfielder who is standing in the infield on the play all count as infielders.

When it looks like a batted ball will qualify, the umpire is supposed to declare "Infield Fly" right away, for the benefit of the runners. You will usually see an umpire point straight up. If the ball is near a foul line, the call becomes "Infield Fly, if Fair" instead.

Why the rule exists

On a normal pop-up, runners stay close to their bases. If they wander off and the ball is caught, they can be doubled off. That caution is exactly what a clever infielder could exploit if there were no rule.

Here is a worked hypothetical. Runners on first and second, one out, and the batter lifts a lazy pop-up to the shortstop. Both runners stay near their bases, as they should. Without the infield fly rule, the shortstop lets the ball fall at his feet. Now every runner is forced to advance, because the batter has become a runner too. The shortstop picks up the ball, throws to third to force the runner from second, and the third baseman throws to second to force the runner from first. Two outs on the play, plus the one already recorded, makes three. The inning is over on a ball the defense could have caught in its sleep.

With the rule, the umpire calls infield fly. The batter is out, which makes two outs. Because the batter is out, the force is removed, so the runners stay where they are with nobody forced to move. The offense keeps runners on first and second with two outs, which is the same result as an ordinary caught pop-up. That is the whole point: the defense gets the one out it earned and nothing more.

Why only with runners on first and second

With a runner on first alone, the trick does not work well. The batter is running hard to first as soon as he hits the ball, so if the infielder lets it drop, the defense can usually get only the force at second while the batter reaches first safely. That trade gains nothing more than the single out the defense would get by catching it, so no special rule is needed.

With runners on first and second (or the bases loaded), there are two or three force plays available, and the batter's hustle no longer protects his teammates. That is where a deliberate drop pays off, and that is where the rule applies. With two outs it never applies, because the defense needs only one out to end the inning and catching the ball does that.

What happens to the runners

The infield fly call does not kill the play. The ball stays live, and the runners are on their own:

• If the ball is caught, it is just like any caught fly ball. Runners must tag up, meaning retouch their base, before advancing.
• If the ball is not caught, the batter is still out. Runners are not forced to move, but they may try to advance at their own risk, and a runner who goes can be tagged out.
• A runner who is hit by the infield fly while standing on his base is not out, although the batter is. A runner hit by it while off his base, before the ball has passed an infielder, is out along with the batter. Either way the ball is dead.
• If a runner interferes with a fielder trying to catch an infield fly that turns out to be fair, both the runner and the batter are out.

For scoring, Rule 9.09(c)(1) tells the official scorer to credit the putout on an uncaught infield fly to the fielder who could have made the catch. The batter is charged with an at-bat and an out, not a hit.

Fair or foul: where the ball lands matters

Because the rule only covers fair balls, the umpire's call near the lines is conditional. The rulebook handles the tricky cases this way. If a declared infield fly falls untouched and bounces foul before it passes first or third base, it is simply a foul ball and the batter keeps hitting. If it lands untouched outside the baseline but bounces fair before passing first or third, it is an infield fly and the batter is out. If it is caught in foul territory, it is an ordinary foul out.

In practice this is why you will hear "if fair" on pop-ups near the dugouts or behind the corners. The umpire has made the infield fly decision, but fair or foul still has to settle itself.

A judgment call, not a line on the field

The rule turns on the words "ordinary effort." The rulebook's comment says the umpire should decide whether an infielder could ordinarily have handled the ball, "not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines." An umpire can call an infield fly on a ball caught by an outfielder if, in the umpire's judgment, an infielder could have handled it just as easily. The same comment adds that the infield fly is not an appeal play and that the umpire's judgment governs.

The most famous example came in the 2012 National League Wild Card Game between the Cardinals and Braves in Atlanta. With one out and runners on first and second in the eighth inning, Andrelton Simmons hit a fly into shallow left field. Shortstop Pete Kozma went out for it, then moved aside, and the ball fell between him and left fielder Matt Holliday. Left-field umpire Sam Holbrook had called the infield fly, so Simmons was out and the Braves were left with runners on second and third and two outs instead of the bases loaded with one out. Fans threw debris onto the field and play was held up for around 19 minutes. The Braves protested, and MLB turned the protest down because the call was a matter of umpire judgment. People still argue about whether that ball required ordinary effort, which shows how much room the standard leaves.

Common misunderstandings

A few beliefs about the rule come up again and again, and none of them is correct:

• "The fielder has to catch it for the batter to be out." No. The batter is out once the infield fly is called and the ball is fair, caught or not.
• "It only applies to balls over the infield dirt." No. The test is ordinary effort by an infielder, not where the grass begins.
• "Runners have to stay on their bases." No. They may advance at their own risk, and they must tag up if the ball is caught.
• "It applies with a runner on first only." No. That situation is covered by a different rule: Rule 5.09(a)(12) says that if an infielder intentionally drops a fair fly ball or line drive with first base occupied and fewer than two outs, the ball is dead, the batter is out and the runners return. If the infielder simply lets the ball fall untouched, the batter is not out unless the infield fly rule applies.
• "Line drives and bunts count." No. Both are specifically excluded from the definition.

The intentional drop rule is worth remembering as the infield fly rule's partner. One covers pop-ups the fielder never touches; the other covers balls a fielder catches and then drops on purpose, including line drives.

Quick checklist for spotting an infield fly

Run through these in order when a pop-up goes up and you want to know whether the batter is already out:

• Count the outs. Two outs means no infield fly.
• Check the bases. You need runners on first and second, or the bases loaded.
• Look at the ball. A high, fair fly qualifies; a line drive or a bunt does not.
• Watch the fielder. If an infielder (or an outfielder playing in) can settle under it with ordinary effort, it qualifies.
• Watch the umpire. A raised arm pointing up means infield fly, and "if fair" near the lines.
• Then watch the runners, because the ball is still live.

If you are new to how innings and outs fit together, our guide to how many innings are in baseball covers the basics. Another rule that trips up new fans in similar fashion is the balk.