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Fly Ball Single

A batter advancing to first base on a base hit, no matter where the ball is hit, and provided there's no error on the play, is called a "single". There are a lot of variables that can add up to a fly ball single, mostly revolving around where the ball is hit, how hard the ball is hit, where the defenders are positioned, etc.

This may be a good time to restate that a lot of what might look like “errors” won’t be called as such unless a defender actually gets a glove on it. So, imagine a pop up that’s set to come down somewhere behind the pitcher’s mound. A whole bunch of infielders run in to catch it, but no one takes charge, and everyone eventually assumes that someone else has it… but no one else has it. It falls in. That’s a single, and it counts every bit as much as a softly-hit line drive that falls in front of the right fielder.

On a single, any runners already on will be able to move up by at least one base, if not more. A runner on third will score almost automatically. Depending on where the ball is hit, the speed and skill of the outfielders, as well as the speed of the runner, a runner on second may try to score, and a runner on first may attempt to stretch for third. In both cases, the defense will often go after those runners in an attempt to throw them out. This can lead to outs at those bases (or the plate), and in the meantime, the batter/runner who started the whole chain of events may try to take second while everyone else is distracted. If they succeed, they are still only credited with a single, with the extra base being chalked up to an advance on the throw.