Hit or Fielder's Choice?

If a preceding runner is forced out on the play (or would have been except for a fielding error), the batter cannot receive credit for a hit; it's a fielder's choice. Even if the fielder had no chance to get the batter/runner out, it's still a FC.

As long as they both reach safely, you can award a base hit. How many times do you see a lazy fly ball that drops behind the 2b and in front of the CF? CF makes a play at 2b to try and force R1 at 2nd, but throws too late -- batter gets a single, right? So, same outcome but ball is fielded by SS, just too late to throw anybody out. Give the guy credit for a single.

quote:

Originally posted by TCB1:
Runner at 1b. Batter hits a ball deep into hole at short. Very fast runners. SS fields and will have no chance at getting batter, throws to 2b where the runner going from 1b to 2b beats throw by several steps too.

As described, this is a hit all the way.

quote:

Originally posted by TCB1:
Runner at 1b. Batter hits a ball deep into hole at short. Very fast runners. SS fields and will have no chance at getting batter, throws to 2b where the runner going from 1b to 2b beats throw by several steps too….

When I 1ST read this, I really didn’t notice it, but I do now and thought I’d make a comment about it.

How fast the runners were makes absolutely no difference. Its whether or not the fielder has a reasonable chance to get the batter-runner that determines whether or not its scored a hit because it was hit too slowly. I know it seems like the same thing, but it isn’t. FI, the most powerful but slowest runner on the team could hit some kind of slow roller with the infield back and be credited with a hit.

This happened last Friday. R on 1st. Batter hits fly over ss and in front of cf. Runner was unsure if cf could catch the ball and stayed close to first. When ball dropped he could not get to second and was thrown out. Is this a FC or what? Maybe one where you just had to be there.

quote:

Originally posted by #32 DAD:
This happened last Friday. R on 1st. Batter hits fly over ss and in front of cf. Runner was unsure if cf could catch the ball and stayed close to first. When ball dropped he could not get to second and was thrown out. Is this a FC or what? Maybe one where you just had to be there.

FC

The rules seem pretty clear on this one.

10.05 BASE HITS
A base hit is a statistic credited to a batter when such batter reaches base safely, as set forth in this Rule 10.05.

(a) The official scorer shall credit a batter with a base hit when:
...
(6) a fielder unsuccessfully attempts to put out a preceding runner and, in the official scorer’s judgment, the batter-runner would not have been put out at first base by ordinary effort.


(b) The official scorer shall not credit a base hit when a:
...
(4) fielder fails in an attempt to put out a preceding runner and, in the scorer’s judgment, the batter-runner could have been put out at first base;


http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloa...l_Baseball_Rules.pdf