Automatic Double

The Automatic Double, sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as a “ground rule double,¹” is when a batted ball hits the ground, then bounces over the fence and out of play. This usually means a sharply hit line drive that hits the outfield at just the right spot that its next bounce carries it over the fence. Every so often, you’ll see one where a hooking line drive gets enough spin on it that it bounces over the fence in foul territory, but as long as it bounces fair first, that also counts as an automatic double.

An automatic double results in, well, a double. Automatically. The batter winds up at second base, and any other baserunners move up two bases. This can end up being a mild boon to the defense in some cases: when there’s a runner on first, if a hit goes for an automatic double, that runner stops on third, whereas if the ball stays in play, the runner has a good chance of scoring. Runners who started on second or third base, however, will score automatically.