Questions tagged [baseball]
Questions about the sport of baseball in general. For the American professional baseball league, see [mlb]. Note that autograph identification questions ("Who signed this baseball?") are OFF-TOPIC and will be closed.
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Ball headed foul but stopped before it gets there - is it still fair?
Scenario: a ground ball is hit towards third base and bounces left towards foul territory.
Suppose the third baseman grabs the ball while he is standing in fair territory before the ball gets to 3rd ...
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Does it count as an at bat with RISP if a runner steals second?
This question is about the specific definition of the baseball statistic AVG w/ RISP. Suppose there is a runner on first with no outs. When the count is 2-2, the runner successfully steals second base ...
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Does baseball have an equivalent of "six and out"?
In backyard cricket, an informal version of normal cricket, you can get "six and out", which means that you score six runs but you're out, if you hit the ball outside of the playing area.
Do any ...
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Interpretation for sequence of slugging percentages
This is really more of a mathematical question with a baseball application, but it seems more appropriate to ask it here.
Because slugging percentage is defined as total bases divided by at bats, it ...
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Is this a runner put out or a baseman interfering?
Situation: there is a runner on first base. The first-baseman is standing on the line to second base, about four feet from first base.
The ball is hit toward first base and fair. As soon as the ball ...
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What makes Stealing Signs wrong?
Edit: I originally asked this question in 2016. This was before the scandals of the Astros and Red Sox came to light, where the teams allegedly used devices such as cameras, smartwatches, and trash ...
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Why do MLB players always look into the field after striking out?
I have watched quite a bit of baseball, and have always wondered why almost every player immediately looks into the field after striking out.
Are they:
making sure the pitcher isn't staring them ...
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Has there ever been a "strike-em-out-throw-2-out" triple play?
Has there ever been a "strike-em-out-throw-2-out" triple play?
(I started wondering that after watching this YouTube video MLB | Strike 'em Out, Throw 'em Out.
user7737
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Has there ever been a zero-pitch save?
It occasionally happens that a pitcher will earn a save by throwing one pitch. For example, he is brought in with two outs in the ninth and a two-run lead, and his first pitch is popped up.
In ...
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Appeal play after a pitching change
Is it possible to appeal a tag-up play at a base after a pitching change? If so, how does it affect the pitchers' statistics?
For a concrete example, suppose P1 is pitching, runner R3 at third, one ...
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MLB: Home Run + Stolen Base in back to back games
On September 6, 2016 Jose Reyes hit a home run and stole a base in the same game. The next day (September 7, 2016) he repeated the feat.
How many times has this been accomplished in the past, by ...
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Earned v. Unearned Run Following an Error (Dropped Foul Ball)
Suppose that Paul the pitcher begins an inning by striking out Adam, and then he walks Billy. The next batter is Charlie, who hits a foul ball that the first baseman drops. Subsequently, he is charged ...
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Blown save when starter is ineligible for a win
I'm parsing some baseball data, so I need to be able to appropriately award saves, blown saves, holds, etc. In doing so, I came across some examples that I'm unsure how to handle.
Example 1: Suppose ...
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Why keep the left arm straight in golf but not in baseball batting?
A common advice in golf is to keep your left arm straight. (The terminology used here is for right hand players.) For some players it is possible to compromise slightly with this advice and still hit ...
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What happens if the fielders or the batter take too long to get to the field at the start of a new inning?
I went to an MLB baseball game today and saw that after a team got 3 outs, everybody went to their dugouts and a countdown timer started at 2 minutes, 5 seconds (why not just a round two minutes, I ...
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Do runners on base get a run if the batter hits a home run?
Do the runners on the base get a free run when the batter hits a home run?
I have seen a game where there was a runner on first and the batter hit a home run, but instead of getting one home run, ...
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What does Home Runs Allowed mean?
I am reading an article about data science which uses some baseball statistics as an example. In it, there is the following phrase:
we hypothesize that the number of wins can be predicted by the ...
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Baseball games won by balk
Earlier this month on July 16 2016, the San Diego Padres won a game against the San Francisco Giants in the 10th inning when the Giant's pitcher balked. I had never seen this before but doing a quick ...
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Electronic Assistance in baseball
Though I'm curious about this in all sports, I'll limit my question to the scope of MLB for the moment. My question is what (if any) are the rules regarding electronic assistance in baseball games?
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Can you get autographs of the Baseball HOF inductees?
I'll be going to the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in a few days, and would like to understand how they handle autographs.
Do the inductees give autographs? For free or for a cost? Or ...
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Does the run count? Third out, not forced, not by batter-runner
Runners on 2nd and 3rd, two out. Ground ball to shortstop, following order of events:
1) Runner from third crosses home plate.
2) Runner from second is tagged out by the shortstop for what is judged ...
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A batter overruns first base, but misses the bag. Is then tagged out. Does the runner on 3rd score?
Here's something that happened at a game recently and I can't find the answer to it: 2 outs, runner on 3rd. Batter hits a slow roller to third. The third baseman picks it up but makes a bad throw to ...
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How would a manager use a starter and reliever differently in an All-Star game?
In a "regular" game, a starter pitches "several" innings while a reliever pitches one or two.
But in the All Star game, "all" pitchers pitch only one to two innings. So what has historically been the ...
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A False Out Call by an Umpire
Situation: runners at second and third, no outs. A line drive gets caught by the short stop, who throws to third base to try and get a double play.
The runner at third is called safe. However, the ...
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Dugout players assisting a fielder
In attempting to field a foul popup, a fielder leans over the railing of his own dugout. Suppose his teammates and/or coaches in the dugout support him with their hands, to keep him from falling ...
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Why isn't it counted as a hit in baseball?
It happened at the bottom of the 5th inning between Baltimore and Seattle on June 30, 2016. With the bases fully loaded, a batter hit the ball to the right field and the third base runner scored a run,...
user10632
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Runner stays on first: tagged out for not trying to advance?
The situation: a runner on first with 1 out. The batter hit a ground ball to first, but the runner at that base stayed there.
The fielder grabbed the ball, tagged first base, then tagged the runner ...
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How to throw farther
I play highschool baseball and spend 100% of the time in outfield I can only throw 45 yards anything I can do to throw somewhere around 60 yards?
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Pickoffs on 3-2 [closed]
When the count is 3-2 with two out and a runner on first, the runner will always go on first movement. Why does the pitcher not throw over to first to either pick off the runner or at least make him ...
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Dropped foul ball followed by hit?
Let's say a batter hits a foul popup to the catcher, and it's an easy play but the catcher drops it. Later in the at-bat, the batter gets a solid hit. Is this scored as the batter reaching on an error,...
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Does the run count, or is it considered a force-out [duplicate]
Scenario: Bases loaded, two out. A ground ball is hit to third base.
The runner from third crosses home plate before the runner from second is tagged out on their way to third base.
Does the run count?...
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Can a starting pitcher be replaced before their first pitch?
Can the visiting team change their starting pitcher once the line ups are given to the umpires and the game begins? Example- Joe Strikeout is the starting pitcher on the line up card. The visitors ...
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What team has the shortest "longest losing streak" within a season in MLB history?
Don't know if the wording of the title makes sense, but I want to know what team had the longest losing streak that was the shortest in MLB history (or at least the live ball era)
A completely made ...
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What are the rules in baseball about how close a fielder can stand to the home plate?
In baseball can a player stand three feet from the plate in SWAT-like gear? Your team could have a line of players standing there and then a few fielders for the balls that get through and a first-...
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Would this baseball defense work?
To my recollection, if a fielder attempts to catch a batted ball before it hits the field, but then misplays it AND it falls into fair ground, then it is a fair ball.
I just witnessed a high pop up ...
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Three two-run homers in the span of six batters
On June 2 2016 the SF Giants did this against the Atlanta Braves. The 5th innings for SF started as follows:
AARON BLAIR PITCHING FOR ATLANTA
Blanco walked. 0 0
Bumgarner homered to left center (...
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What happens if a base runner attempts a steal right before the pitch, then the batter hits a foul ball?
What happens if a base runner attempts a steal right before the pitch, then the batter hits a foul ball. Since the ball is dead, I would assume the base would not get stolen. I also know that on a ...
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Does a run count on a passed ball on a third strike?
Under the following scenario would the run count?
With a runner on third and 2 outs, the batter swings and misses the third strike and the catcher does not catch the ball. Further the runner on ...
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if the runner advancing to second base is hit by the throw from the outfield, is he out?
If the runner advancing from first to second is hit by the ball thrown by the outfielder while not on the bag, is he out?
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Is a bunted foul ball for strike 3 a dead ball?
So figure that a batter has 2 strikes on him and bunts the ball foul for strike 3 is the ball still in play since it is considered a strikeout?
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Has a baserunner ever been hit by a batted ball?
Sometimes, the ball flies pretty low to the ground, about 6 feet or lower. Seeing as offensive players waiting on a base will often run as soon as the ball is hit, the possibility of them being hit by ...
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Can a batter in baseball hit a foul ball twice?
Unsure if that is that most accurate way of stating my question but what happens if a batter hits a foul ball that goes near the batter and he attempts to hit it again and misses or hits the ball foul ...
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What determines the coefficients in the definition of slugging percentage?
When calculating slugging percentage, why do the numbers of singles, doubles, and triples get multiplied by 2, 3 and 4, respectively, in the numerator? And, perhaps related, why does the HR count ...
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Does the run count?
Runners on 2nd and 3rd 1 out... the batter hits a drive to the OF and the ball is caught for the 2nd out. the runners advance to home and 3rd base respectively for a sac fly... However, the runner on ...
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Can a run count despite a third out?
Scenario: the bases loaded, one out. The Batter hits fly to left fielder who catches ball for 2nd out. The runner on third legally tags and scores. The runner on second however, never tags up as he ...
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Is it still a force at 2nd?
Man on first, grounder to 1st baseman, he steps on 1st to get the runner out and throws to 2nd for the double play. Is it a force at 2nd or does it become a tag play?
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Baseball pinch hitter question
A pinch hitter is up to bat. A runner on first gets thrown out at second for the third out of the inning. The pinch hitter is not substituted for the player he was pinch hitting for. In the next ...
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Has an ejection ever been reversed?
Most times when a player is ejected from the game by an ump, they attempt to argue their case. Has this ever lead to an ejection being reversed?
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What can teams do when umpire has inconsistent strike zone?
I was watching a game between the Blue Jays and the Rangers and several times the ball was clearly in the strike zone, but balls were called and vice versa. The Blue Jays coach was furious and got ...
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What were the major transformations in pitching strategy in MLB history?
The more I get into baseball the more I'm realizing that it's a pitchers game. If a pitcher is unhittable, the opposing team cannot win. I've also read some material on early pitchers in the deadball ...
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