Baseball scoring question

If you mean he's tagged out at second trying to stretch a single into a double, it's just a single and a simple putout at second. If you mean where he hits a single, overruns the base and gets tagged out trying to get back to first, I believe that's a single and a pickoff.

 

So the second baseman (or whoever) would get credit for the pickoff?

 

I wouldn't treat it as a pickoff, but as a putout, just the same as if the player got thrown out attempting to stretch a single into a double.

And the best way to remember how to treat the sacrifice bunt play is whether the batter should be punished for the defense's error. If he successfully laid down the sac bunt, he shouldn't be punished with an extra AB that hurts his batting average just because of an error.

 

I'm pretty sure that as long as the batter puts the ball in play, he gets credit for the sacrifice and RBI regardless. Even if it's a routine play the fielder botched, scorer can't assume a play would be made at home. The only possible exception I can think of is if the bases are loaded and there's a force at home, in which case it could go as a fielder's choice and an error. I think....

 

If the ruling is a sacrifice and error then it is an RBI. If the ruling is the error was in a throw to the plate, it would be a fielder choice, error, no RBI, no sacrifice. If the play is made to the plate you can assume an out could have been made. Now if the play is made to the plate and you assume the runner would have scored it is a fielder's choice or base hit, depending on whether the scorer felt the fielder could have thrown the runner out at first. In that situation the way there would be an error is only if the batter advanced to second base because of an errant throw.

 

Oh what would you know? God damn, you'd think you're in the Hall of Fame or something...

 

I have an interesting question from a HS game this weekend. Batter hits a long fly ball down the left field line. As the left fielder is moving over to make the catch a large piece banner blow out from the stands and distracts him. He doesn't make the catch and the runner advances to 2nd while he chases down the ball.

Is this a fielding error? Single? Double?

 

For me it would depend if it merely "distracted" him or physically interfered with his vision of the ball. In the latter case, I'd say it would akin to losing a ball in the sun and be a hit (although I don't think that should always be the case, that's the practice). If it was just a matter of him not being able to keep his attention where it should have been, I'd call it an error.

 

If he never touches the ball until it hits the ground, I think I have always seen that called a hit, no matter what the circumstances.

Just like if two fielders are both looking upward, calling for it, but then both back off at the last moment and it falls between them. You could say they both were distracted in that case, but can't give either an error.