What is an Oblique Strain?

An oblique strain is a strain of the oblique muscles, muscles that sit in the abdomen or core. They are extremely common in baseball because the oblique muscles are some of the muscles that are most activated by the movements of hitting and throwing.

Levels of Oblique Strain

There are three levels of oblique strain.

• Grade One oblique strains are typically rather mild and could clear up in a few days.
• Grade Two strains are moderate and could lead to a player missing weeks.
• Grade Three strains are severe and could even involve the muscles rupturing.

In the case of a severe strain, a player may miss 3-4 months as surgery is required to repair the muscle.

Oblique Strain Examples

The average time for hitters to recover from an oblique strain is 27 days. For pitchers, the average recovery time is 35. Keep in mind, that’s across all grades; a more or less severe strain could cause a much longer or shorter recovery time.

 What is an Infield Fly?

The infield fly rule is a term that refers to a specific call by an umpire. If a hitter hits a pop-up or shallow, catchable fly ball with less than two outs and first and second base occupied (or bases loaded), the umpire can call an infield fly. That means that the hitter is ruled out, whether or not the fielder catches the ball.

How is the Infield Fly Rule used?

The infield fly rule is meant to protect the batting team by preventing the fielding team from running a somewhat tricky play. If a batter hits a pop fly in the infield with runners on, the fielder could intentionally let the ball land, then immediately pick it up and turn a double play. Because in an infield fly, the hitter is ruled out, the runners are not forced to advance.

Among fans, the infield fly has taken on a bit of mystique, since it is called infrequently and, especially in the ballpark, can be kind of baffling to witness. As a result, people tend to have trouble understanding it and often wonder what the infield fly rule is, but the answer is quite simple.

How to score an Infield Fly?

If you’re keeping score, an Infield Fly is marked as IF on your scorecard

Infield Fly Examples

Here is an example of an infield fly in a game:

Interesting Infield Fly Stats

It’s worth noting that there is one situation where an infield fly can be undone. If the ball lands without being caught, and then bounces into foul territory before crossing first or third base, then the ball is ruled foul and the hitter is not out.