by BoxJam on Sat Oct 25, 2003 4:18 pm
If the batting team has zero or one outs, and runners on first and second, or the bases loaded, then a batted ball that is popped up to an infielder (the infielder's bailiwick is the umpire's discretion), then the batter is automatically out, and the runners return to the bases they previously occupied without possibility of being put out.
While it seems harsh to the batter, it's actually to protect the batter's team - it prevents the runners from facing the Hobson's choice of trying to run forward, in which case the infielder catches the ball and gets more runners out before they tag up, or staying on their starting base, in which case the infielder drops it and gets one or more forces on runners.
It is similar in spirit, but a distinct rule from, the intentional drop rule, where, with zero or one outs, and a single runner, if the umpire judges that an infielder drops a ball intentionally (totally the umpire's discretion), then the batter is out, and the ball is dead, allowing the runner to return to base without fear of put-out.