Hit or Fielders Choice

UTBaseball10+ posts

I have a couple of scenarios that on first consideration seem pretty easy but I'm not so sure they are, now that I think about it. I have scored these without thought for a couple of years but someone challenged me on it yesterday and now I am not so sure.

Scenarion #1: Baserunner on first and a Texas Leaguer is hit to right field. The right fielder is coming up on the ball and is close enough that it's possible that he could make the catch. This causes the baserunner to be held up in case he has to go back to first but instead, the ball drops in front of the right fielder and he makes a nice grab and throws to second for the force out. Now, normally I would score the batter as a Fielder's Choice and a force out at 2nd; 9-6. I was challenged that the the batter reached on a hit and that the runner was somehow just out because he was held up. I explained that there are a number of things in scoring baseball that are inherently unfair to the hitter/runner/fielder but that it wasn't a hit but a fielder's choice.

Am I right or wrong?

Scenario #2: This discussion brought up another situation that we discussed that is very similar to scenario #1 and is really the basis of my defense of the scoring above. Same situation: Baserunner on first but this time the ball is hit sharply to right field. Baserunner moves to second and the right fielder is playing up and makes a good play on the ball and throws the batter out at first. Ground ball out 9-3 and baserunner is safe on second on a fielders choice. Just as if the second baseman had made the play deep in the hole behind 1st and threw the batter out at first.

Correct?

Scenario #3: Baserunner on first and ball hit sharply to right center. Baserunner thinks there is no problem getting to second since it is a base hit and doesn't hussle. Centerfield makes a nice play and throws the runner out at second (force). Does the batter get scored a hit with the baserunner scored with a running error or are we back to baserunner forced out at 2nd (8-4) so the batter reaches on Fielder's Choice.

Thanks for your opinions.

Charles

6/11/079:58 AM

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Emanski's Heroes1,000+ posts

I think you're right in the first two scenarios, and you didn't offer what your original scoring would be scenario 3, but I think that's another FC.

6/11/0710:45 AM

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UTBaseball10+ posts

Any other opinions out there?

6/11/074:32 PM

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RPD100+ posts

Some of these have also come up previously -- but indeed they're interesting scenarios.

#1: I went down kicking and screaming on this one, because it seems like the batter should get a single, but my recollection is that the correct ruling is FC.

#2: Not a fielder's choice. OBR: "FIELDER'S CHOICE is the act of a fielder who handles a fair grounder and, instead of throwing to first base to put out the batter runner, throws to another base in an attempt to put out a preceding runner"

I don't think you need any particular scoring term to account for his advancement. He simply advanced on the play.

#3: From a scoring standpoint, this seems to be identical to #1. Again -- certainly unfair to the batter, but I don't think the rules allow for anything else.

6/11/077:06 PM

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JWC32100+ posts

I see it the same as RPD. Example No. 1 is always an FC for the batter.

Example No. 2 is just a 9-3 putout on the batter with the runner advancing to second on the play. You wouldn't score an FC on a slow groundout to first that advances the runner even though the batter was put out (like many scorers, I would note the baserunner's advance by placing a number--either the batter's uniform number or the batter's position number--next to second base in the scoring box for the baserunner). The only possible exception is if you felt that the rightfielder could have ALSO forced the baserunner at second, and had a choice of who to throw out. However, you did not describe the play that way, so I would go with RPD's explanation.

Example No. 3 is also scored the same as in Situation 1.

6/12/073:34 PM