GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When is an intentionally dropped MLB fly ball an out, and when may an infielder let it fall untouched?
The intentional-drop rule retires the batter when an infielder deliberately drops a fair fly ball or line drive with fewer than two outs and first base occupied in one of the listed runner combinations. The ball is dead and the runners return to their original bases. If the infielder lets the ball fall untouched, that clause does not make the batter out, except when the Infield Fly rule applies. A declared Infield Fly takes priority and the ball remains live if dropped.
For Fans who see an infielder let a ball fall and want to distinguish two different automatic-out provisions. · Updated
The automatic out has specific conditions
Rule 5.09(a)(12) applies to a fair fly ball or line drive that an infielder intentionally drops when first base is occupied, fewer than two outs are recorded, and the runners are arranged in one of these ways:
- A runner is on first.
- Runners are on first and second.
- Runners are on first and third.
- The bases are loaded.
An intentional drop makes the ball dead
When those conditions are met, the batter is out, the ball is dead and each runner returns to the base occupied before the drop. The rule is not triggered merely because a ball reaches the ground; the infielder’s intentional drop and the listed game situation matter.
An untouched drop is not the same action
The Approved Ruling says the batter is not out under this clause when the infielder permits the ball to fall untouched. That answer has an express exception: the Infield Fly rule can control instead.
A declared Infield Fly keeps the ball live
An Infield Fly concerns a fair fly ball, not a line drive or attempted bunt, that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort when first and second are occupied or the bases are loaded and fewer than two outs are recorded. The umpire declares it immediately when the conditions are apparent. Once declared, that rule takes priority: if an infielder intentionally drops the ball, it remains live, and runners may advance at their own risk.
A line drive and a declared Infield Fly
In a fictional play with one out and a runner on first, batter Jo hits a stipulated fair line drive. Infielder Ren contacts it before a legal catch and intentionally knocks it down; the batter is out, the ball is dead and Jo’s teammate returns to first. In a parallel play, Ren lets the same line drive fall untouched; the intentional-drop clause does not make Jo out. In a separate play, first and second are occupied with one out when Jo hits a fair fly that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort. The umpire declares Infield Fly; if Ren intentionally drops it, the ball remains live under that rule’s priority.
Related questions
Does an untouched ball always let the batter run?
No. The intentional-drop rule does not retire the batter when the infielder lets the ball fall untouched, but a declared Infield Fly or another rule may still make the batter out.
Does the intentional-drop rule apply with two outs?
No. Rule 5.09(a)(12) requires fewer than two outs. Other rules, such as a legal catch, remain separate.
Why does an Infield Fly stay live after an intentional drop?
The Official Baseball Rules state that the Infield Fly rule takes priority over the intentional-drop provision. Runners may advance at their own risk.