So, the other day I was watching a baseball game with my buddy, and this play happened that totally stumped us. We were like, “What the heck just happened?” It looked like the batter should have been out, but he wasn’t. Turns out, it was something called a “fielder’s choice.” I’d heard the term before, but I didn’t really get it. So, I decided to do some digging.
Figuring Out Fielder’s Choice
First, I grabbed my phone and started searching online. “What is fielder’s choice in baseball,”.I read through a bunch of articles and forum posts. Basically, I wanted something simple and straightforward, not a textbook definition.
After some searching, I found a few explanations that made sense. It’s all about what the fielder chooses to do.
Breaking it Down
Here’s the deal, as far as I can tell:
- A fielder’s choice happens when there’s a runner (or runners) already on base.
- The batter hits the ball, and it’s a fair ball (not a foul).
- The fielder who gets the ball has a choice: try to get the batter out at first base, OR try to get one of the other runners out at a different base.
- If the fielder chooses to try and get a runner out instead of the batter, and that other runner is out, that’s a fielder’s choice.
- The batter reaches base safely not because they got a hit, but the fielders make a play on another runner.
The key part is that the fielder is making a choice. They’re deciding that it’s more important to get another runner out than to get the batter * official scorer decides whether a play is scored as a hit or a fielder’s choice. It’s their job to figure out if the batter would have been safe at first anyway, or if they only got there because the fielder went for the other runner.
So, after all that, I think I finally understand fielder’s *’s not the easiest thing to wrap your head around at first, but once you see it in action a few times, and break down the basic situation, it clicks.
