Infielders on the first-base side of the Washington Nationals' infield react to a ground ball hit by Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets, while other Mets runners on base start moving.

A Ground Ball is Hit Fair

When a ground ball is put into play, the main question tends to be: is the ball going to get through the infield or not? If the ball gets through, the batter is going to reach safely, and the runners already on will also advance. If the ball doesn’t get through, things get a little more complicated, as the defense can potentially collect multiple outs on the play. Even if the defense doesn't retire the original batter, that doesn’t mean that said batter winds up with a hit (even without the defense making an error).