It was an unusual sight in American baseball Friday evening, when Atlanta Braves fans, upset by a questionable ruling using the infield fly rule, caused disturbing scenes as fans threw debris and shouted at players and umpires who tried to escape being hurt by the flying objects.
Analysts, who have been investigating the umpire's ruling, have generally come to the conclusion that the ruling was correct, and in line with the MBL National League official rules.
The left field umpire Sam Holbrook, who called the infield fly rule, said afterwards that he still believed he made the correct call after viewing the replay, USA Today reports.
Here is an excerpt of the official rule book, which defines the Friday ruling:
"Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder-not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpire's judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpire's judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately."
The entire rule book definition can be found as a PDF at the MLB National League website.
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