For more examples, click here.

Fielder's Choice

When there are runners on, and the batter hits a ground ball, the fielder who comes up with the ball will have a choice. Often times, that fielder will get the ball and throw it so quickly that it doesn’t seem like they’re making a choice. Indeed, it looks like an automatic action that comes from hundreds upon hundreds of hours of practice. But it is still a choice, and that choice depends greatly on the state of the game, how many outs there are to begin with and who is running.

If the fielder does not attempt to get the out at first, and the play results in the batter/runner being safe at first, the result is scored as a fielder's choice¹. It doesn't matter if the play that the defense attempts is successful— in fact, it doesn't matter if the ball is fielded cleanly by the defense; if a fielder makes an error on a ball that would have gone for a fielder's choice, the batter still winds up with a fielder's choice (along with an error). The batter gets an at-bat, and a plate appearance, but not a hit. If a runner who started at third scores, the batter also gets credit for the run batted in.