GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When does the MLB infield fly rule apply, and what happens if the ball drops?
The 2026 MLB rule defines an Infield Fly as a fair fly ball, not a line drive or attempted bunt, that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort while first and second, or all three bases, are occupied with fewer than two outs. When the umpire declares it, the batter is out, but the ball remains live and runners may advance at their risk. If the ball becomes foul, foul-ball rules apply.
For Fans who want to understand why an uncaught pop-up can still produce an out. · Updated
The required situation
All of these conditions must be present: a fair fly ball; not a line drive or an attempted bunt; ordinary effort by an infielder could produce a catch; and either runners on first and second or the bases loaded, with fewer than two outs. The pitcher, catcher, and an outfielder positioned in the infield for the play count as infielders for this rule.
Whether ordinary effort is enough is an umpire judgment. The rulebook says the decision should not turn on an artificial boundary such as the grass or baseline. When a ball near a baseline might be foul, the umpire can announce “Infield Fly, if Fair.”
The declaration makes the batter out
Once declared, the batter is out even if the fielder does not catch the ball. The ball stays live, and runners can advance at their own risk or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, as on other fly balls. A declaration is not itself an instruction that every runner must stay put.
If the declared ball falls untouched and then bounces foul before passing first or third, ordinary foul-ball rules apply; if it was not caught, the batter is not out under the Infield Fly declaration. If it falls outside the baseline and bounces fair before passing either base, it remains an Infield Fly. The fair-or-foul sequence matters.
Dropped balls and runner exceptions
The intentional-drop rule does not cancel an Infield Fly. The rulebook says the Infield Fly takes precedence, so an intentionally dropped fair ball after a valid declaration stays live. This differs from the ordinary intentional-drop situation covered by Rule 5.09(a)(12).
If an Infield Fly touches a runner who is on a base, that runner is not out just for being touched, although the batter is out. The rulebook’s Comment describes a different result when a runner is off base and is touched before the ball passes an infielder, with no other infielder having a chance to make a play.
Edition and limits
This page follows the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball’s Official Baseball Rules, 2026 Edition. The rulebook does not state a separate day-level publication or effective date. The ordinary-effort and fair-or-foul decisions belong to the umpires; this guide does not adjudicate a real play or local ground rule.
A declared pop-up that drops
In a fictional one-out situation with runners on first and second, a fair pop-up can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort. The umpire declares Infield Fly. The fielder does not catch it, so the batter is out and the ball remains live; the runners decide whether to advance at their risk. If the same pop-up is ruled foul after an “Infield Fly, if Fair” call, ordinary foul-ball rules apply and the batter is not out unless the foul is caught. With two outs, the Infield Fly rule does not apply.
Related questions
Does the Infield Fly have to be caught?
On a fair Infield Fly, no. Once properly declared, the batter is out even if the ball is not caught, and the ball remains live. If the umpire calls “Infield Fly, if Fair” and the ball becomes foul, ordinary foul-ball rules apply instead.
Does the rule apply with two outs?
No. Fewer than two outs are required, along with the specified base occupancy and fair-fly conditions.
What if an Infield Fly hits a runner on a base?
Under Rule 5.09(b)(7), a runner touching a base when touched by an Infield Fly is not out for that contact, though the batter is out. The Comment addresses a runner who is off the base and the fielding sequence.