NBD, just another baseball scoring Q

Unsure on a sac bunt.
Runners on first and second, kid drops one down. Catcher grabs it, looks hard at third. Just before he's about to throw, changes his mind, goes to first, too late. Indecision makes everyone safe.
I know that's a fielder's choice, but is it a sac? Or just a straight FC? Out of practice. Haven't covered high school baseball in a couple years.

 

Bunt single ... since no one was put out on the play, it can't be a fielder's choice, and since the batter wasn't put out while advancing the other runners, there's no sacrifice ...

 

There can be a fielder's choice when there's no put out. Ground ball to short, lazy flip to 2b, runner beats flip, that's an FC. Same principle - catcher was going to third - had ball cocked - changed mind, went to first late. Had he gone to first with no hesitation, runner is out. Because he hesitates, FC.
Anyway, I always get confused because batter wasn't trying to reach; he was trying to move the runner over.

 

It's either a fielder's choice or a sacrifice, it can't be both. Since he made it safely and there was no error on the throw, there is no sacrifice. Therefore the quibble is whether the batter is credited with a hit or a FC.

I don't know every nuance of what actually constitutes a fielder's choice, but to me not actually making an attempt at the lead runner means the batter got an infield single. I will once again, however, defer to someone who knows fielder's choices better than me.

 

Just give him a hit. Don't want to cost him a scholarship.

 

Does it being a sacrifice depend on whether or not the lead runner advances safely?

 

It should be a base hit. The catcher's choice, though he took too long to make it, was to throw to first and the batter beat the play. There was no physical error and you can't score a mental error.

 

Here's something similar that a friend of mine brought up at a game he was covering. Bottom of last inning, tied game, one out, runner on third, successful suicide squeeze to end the game. The run scored before the batter reached first so the game was technically over at that point. No play was made anywhere. Sacrifice? Or hit?

 

Similar situation (but perhaps not exactly) in Twins game last week. Announcers kept saying the official ruling was sacrifice/fielder's choice. Wonder if that was changed.

Would it be that the intent of the batter was a sacrifice and the fielding play was an FC? Therefore no AB for the batter. Seems odd.

 

Ask Jay Dunn how he would've scored it.

 

Off the of my head I don't know if the High School or College rule is different. But MLB has a provision that somewhat covers this under it's base hits rules:
Under the part that says do not credit a base hit when:

(4) fielder fails in an attempt to put out a preceding runner and, in the scorer's judgment, the batter-runner could have been put out at first base; or
Rule 10.05(b) Comment: Rule 10.05(b) shall not apply if the fielder merely looks toward or feints toward another base before attempting to make the putout at first base.

Which basically mean you can award a base hit in this situation. When in doubt give the benefit to the batter, even if it is shady ground.

 

Like I said, if the catcher picks the ball up and goes to first, runner is out by a mile.
He picked it up, turned to third, cocked to throw, then pulled it down (TUCK RULE!) and hurried it to first late.
From what I was told by someone on this board years ago (and confirmed by someone who knows the rules better than I) once the catcher decided to throw to third, it's a fielder's choice whether or not he throws the ball there.
But for the sake of argument, let's say he threw it to third and everyone was safe. Sac or FC? Because that's really the point of the question.