Calling all baseball fanatics...

[Rocky]

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and I am and have always been a Pirate fan. The other night I was watching the game from Atlanta and Andrew McCutchen hit a fly ball foul down the right field line which the right fielder caught. A Pirate runner scored from third base after the catch and the announcer called it a sacrifice fly. I checked the box score the next day and it was scored as a sacrifice fly. I may be crazy (jury is still out on that one) but I have a distinct memory that a ball had to be caught in fair territory in order for it to be a sacrifice fly. If the ball was caught in foul territory, a runner could still advance, but it was not a sacrifice fly and the batter was given an RBI and charged with a time at bat. Am I nuts? Did they change the rule? Help!

 

[oregondabbler]

From Wikipedia

In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:

There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.
The ball is hit to the outfield (fair or foul), or to infield foul territory.
The batter is put out because an outfielder (or an infielder running in the outfield, or foul territory) catches the ball on the fly (alternatively if the batter would have been out if not for an error or if the outfielder drops the ball and another runner is put out).
A runner who is already on base scores on the play

Pirates in ... good times for Bucs fans! Enjoy the journey.

 

[Rocky]

Thanks, Oregon, I saw that and I saw the official rules of major league baseball that say basically the same thing. What I was wondering, has this been changed? I am 99.99% sure that the rule used to be that it had to be a fair ball for a Sacrifice Fly. Otherwise, it was just a fly ball out and the runner advanced and scored after the catch but it was not counted as a "sacrifice." Maybe there is a parallel universe from which I sprung where the rules were thus.

 

[oregondabbler]

OK, you got me curious enough to dive into the archives of baseball arcana. I could not remember a time when the sacrifice fly was NOT called if a runner scored on a pop-fly, fair or foul, so I just quoted the rules, sorry about that. Anway, the rule hasnt changed in the last 27 seasons. The last change dealt with how it counted as an at bat.


Reference: http://research.sabr.org/journals/sacrifice-fly


Enjoy the playoffs,

 

[Rocky]

Oregon, I appreciate the effort. I am going back to the late 1950's or early 1960's and I was sure that the ball had to be fair in order for it to be scored as a Sac Fly. I guess I am wrong because I cannot find anything to support my failing memory. Thanks for the effort.

 

[4score]

Hi Rocky,

I am a Pirate fan as well. Always have been since my Little League days in the late 60's when I was on a team with the same name. Really exciting times for the Bucs! It was so disappointing to see the Reds win in the 10th yesterday. I really want that Division crown.....but I'll take a Wildcard!

Mark

 

[Hokapsig]

Since we are talking baseball, what are the 8 ways to get on first base without scoring a hit?

 

[sour_grapes]

I refuse to google for this out of a sense of fair play. Therefore, I won't get them all. Here is the 6 I came up with:

Walk
HPB
strikeout and steal first
error
fielder's choice
catcher interference or interference by fielder (or is this two different ones?)

 

[Hokapsig]

Correct answers so far:

Walk
Hit by pitch
Error
Fielder's choice
Catcher's interference

I need a little more clarification on the strikeout one.

 

[sour_grapes]

Off the top of my head: If, on strike three, the catcher fails to control the ball, the batter may attempt to reach first base. The catcher (or another player) must throw the ball to first to force the batter out. If the batter reaches first first, he is safe, and the strikeout does not count. I believe he is credited with stealing first.

 

[Hokapsig]

Correct answers so far:

Walk
Hit by pitch
Error
Fielder's choice
Catcher's interference

I need a little more clarification on the strikeout one.

Correct, so add another one:

Passed ball on the third strike (scored against the catcher for failing to control the ball)

2 more that I know of.....

 

[sour_grapes]

Yeah, I googled for them already, so I am out of this contest!

 

[Hokapsig]

The other two which were missing were the wild pitch on the third strike (charged against the pitcher) and being a pinch runner.

Any more that I'm missing????

 

[sour_grapes]

The other two which were missing were the wild pitch on the third strike (charged against the pitcher) and being a pinch runner.

The difference between the two strikeout ones is just whether it is the pitcher's fault or the catcher's fault?

I am having a hardish time imagining how a wild pitch would be a strike. I guess if you were a batter with two strikes on you, and the pitcher uncorked a wild pitch, you could be savvy enough to swing and therefore allow you to try to steal first.

Any more that I'm missing????

Yes. Interference by a fielder, i.e., while the batter is running down the first-base line. (I don't think he is credited with a hit in this case, but not certain.)

 

[Hokapsig]

the pitcher throws a wild pitch in the dirt that the catcher can't handle and the batter swings and misses. This is different than the pitcher throwing one right down the middle and the catcher muffs it. Fielder intereference might be a new one for me (first baseman blocks the basepath).

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

Balk and I need to write more (never knew you had to have at least ten characters on a reply)

 

[sour_grapes]

Balk and I need to write more (never knew you had to have at least ten characters on a reply)

Any runners already on base advance on a balk, but the batter does not take first base.

 

[sour_grapes]

Fielder intereference might be a new one for me (first baseman blocks the basepath).

Okay, I googled around, and it is actually called "obstruction" not "interference." (Interference is committed by the offensive team against the fielders, obstruction is committed by the defensive team against the batting team.)

The batterrunner will indeed be awarded first base if he is obstructed. However, I cannot find how it would be scored, i.e., is it a hit or not.