Hit or error.....

by Quaid
(Indiana)

Quaid asked: Batter hits a high pop up just behind first base.

The first baseman goes back to catch the ball as does the second baseman and the right fielder come in and the three stand dumb founded as the ball drops to the ground without being touched by anyone and lands in the grass just off the infield cut.

Base hit or error as it could have and should have been caught.


Rick answered: Quaid, thank you for your question.

This one would go down as a scorekeeper's decision.

He would assess the play, determine if he felt the ball should have been caught, and which of the 3 players in the area had the best chance to do so.

If he decides that it should have been caught, then he enters the error into the book, crediting it to the player he determined should have caught it.

If the results of his assessment were that it was not really a ball that should have been caught, he credits the batter-runner with a base hit.

All in the hands of one individual.


Yours in baseball,

Rick