[Triad]

Originally Posted by jtur88

With runner on first, batter hits a very high popup. Runner stays near first, and batter rounds first and passes the runner. The ball drifts foul.

Is the batter out for passing a preceding runner if the ball is not caught and falls foul?

My interpretation of it is that for most purposes, it's no play until it either lands/stays or is touched fair, or is caught in foul territory. Basically whatever occurred in a foul play is wiped out, unless it involved something such as interference or a balk.

Originally Posted by jtur88

Does it matter if he passes the runner before or after it falls foul?

It wouldn't seem to matter one way or the other.

Originally Posted by jtur88

(A foul ball in the air is still a live ball in play, because runners can advance after the catch. The ball is dead only after it falls foul.)

It's only a potential live ball, which can be negated if it ends up foul and uncaught.

Originally Posted by jtur88

Scoring question: If it is caught by the 3B, who gets the putout? The player making the catch, or the player closest to the passing-runner infraction?

I think the 3B would get the putout, because that would be the first occurrence of the play. Everything else would follow from that.

I learned something interesting a couple weeks ago in a Little League game that I wished I'd known at the time the play occurred. Since you can't have a force play on an infield fly rule play, all runners must be tagged, otherwise they are safe. We had a runner advancing to 2nd base prior to the infield fly being called (when the ball was dropped), he slid into 2nd as the 2nd baseman caught the ball while standing on the base. The field umpire called the runner out, not thinking infield fly. (the home plate umpire called infield fly when the play was over) The runner who had been on 2nd base at the beginning of the play was completely disoriented, and stood frozen like a deer looking into the headlights about 10 feet from 2nd base. He then got tagged for what appeared to be the third out, but it turns out the second out of the inning wasn't the runner going the 2nd base but the batter being called out on an infield fly. This was critical, because the runner who began the play on 3rd base crossed home plate in the time between the runner at 2nd sliding into the base and the other runner being tagged. The opposing manager claimed that the runner tagged off 2nd base was the fourth out, and no runs should count on the play. It was an amateur umpire who knew less than the managers, so the play stood as interpreted by the opposing manager. Luckily, the lead by my son's team held in the bottom of the next inning, which was the last.