# Baseball: Most hits in an inning..no runs scored **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 31, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759 "2013-05-31T00:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/1 "2013-05-31T00:42:25Z")
Watching the Pirates-Tigers. Bucs got 3 hits in the top of the 4th…no runs. The Tigers had 4 hits in the bottom of the 4th. No runs. Seven combined hits in one inning and no runs scored. Is that a record? What’s the most hits a team can get in a 1/2 an inning without scoring? Can’t be more than 5, right? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/2 "2013-05-31T00:48:39Z")
Max of 6. 3 singles then three singles with a runner thrown out at home twice and a throw to the nearest base for the third. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/3 "2013-05-31T00:53:15Z")
If the bases are loaded and the runner on 3rd is thrown out at the plate it isn’t a single, it’s a forceout. (I’ve never seen this exact play, but I have seen clean singles to the outfield that turn into outs at second when the outfielder almost caught it, or the runner was going back to first, or something.) Single, out stretching for second. Single, out stretching for second. Single. Single, runner to second. Single, everybody moves up a base. Grounder that hits the runner moving between 2nd and 3rd (before reaching the infielders)–batter is out, no one scores, scored as a hit. So 6 is correct, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/4 "2013-05-31T01:05:06Z")
This is one of my favorite baseball trivia questions. Ulf is right it’s 6 and they needed all be singles. Triple with runner thrown out at home Triple with runner thrown out at home Triple runner (finally gets smart and stops at third) Double – a bloop hit that just falls in runner on third has to hold fearing a catch and can’t score. Single – batter beats out a tapper in front of the plate and runners can’t advance. Single with runner hit by a fair batted ball. Six hits (3 triples, 1 double, 2 singles) and 13 total bases with no runs. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/5 "2013-05-31T01:16:00Z")
Old Guy – That works too, and I like the two triples to lead off the inning. But with two out the runner at 3rd wouldn’t be holding because the ball might be caught. Unless the baserunning is even worse than Ruben Rivera’s (see MLB May thread for details). Maybe runner falls down 1/4 of the way to the plate and is forced to crawl back to the base?? ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/6 "2013-05-31T05:20:01Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > This is one of my favorite baseball trivia questions. Ulf is right it’s 6 and they needed all be singles. > > Triple with runner thrown out at home > Triple with runner thrown out at home > Triple runner (finally gets smart and stops at third) > Double – a bloop hit that just falls in runner on third has to hold fearing a catch and can’t score. > Single – batter beats out a tapper in front of the plate and runners can’t advance. > Single with runner hit by a fair batted ball. > > Six hits (3 triples, 1 double, 2 singles) and 13 total bases with no runs. With two outs I am guessing that even Pirate runners are not holding. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/7 "2013-05-31T13:25:55Z")
True on the double, but you could replace the double with an infield single there as well. (and then he could steal second if for some reason you wanted 2nd and 3rd for the ‘tapper in front of the plate’ in the above scenario.) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/8 "2013-05-31T18:55:34Z")
What if there was an extremely unaware defense on the field, and they allowed multiple runners on any given base? Is the umpire required to call one or more of them out? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/9 "2013-05-31T19:14:42Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > But with two out the runner at 3rd wouldn’t be holding because the ball might be caught. Unless the baserunning is even worse than Ruben Rivera’s (see MLB May thread for details). Maybe runner falls down 1/4 of the way to the plate and is forced to crawl back to the base?? I don’t think we have to have poor baserunning by the guy running from 3rd to home to make it work. The bases are 90 feet (30 yards) apart. Even if the runner is halfway home when the batter hits the ball, he still has 15 yards to go, which takes even a speedster about 1.5 seconds to traverse. A line drive will cross the basepath between 2nd and 3rd much faster than that, so if it hits the runner between 2nd and 3rd, it’ll do so before the runner from 3rd crosses the plate, ergo no run is scored. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/10 "2013-05-31T20:56:07Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I don’t think we have to have poor baserunning by the guy running from 3rd to home to make it work. The bases are 90 feet (30 yards) apart. Even if the runner is halfway home when the batter hits the ball, he still has 15 yards to go, which takes even a speedster about 1.5 seconds to traverse. > > A line drive will cross the basepath between 2nd and 3rd much faster than that, so if it hits the runner between 2nd and 3rd, it’ll do so before the runner from 3rd crosses the plate, ergo no run is scored. Right, but I was referring to man-on-third only and the batter hits a double, not bases-loaded-and-the-ball-hits-the-runner. Look at **Old Guy** ’s scenario again: it’s the fourth batter we’re talking about, and why the guy on third doesn’t try for home. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/11 "2013-05-31T22:29:18Z")
Right all of you so let’s change it to the nicely symmetric: Triple with runner thrown out at home Triple with runner thrown out at home Double Double to third baseman. He dives and deflects the ball. It rolls away allowing runner on second to get to third after he originally held fearing he would be an easier out than the batter if the third baseman came up with it. (That I’ve actually seen though I’m not sure if there were two outs. Single – batter beats out a tapper in front of the plate and runners can’t advance. Single with runner hit by a fair batted ball. Six hits (2 triples, 2 doubles, 2 singles) and 12 total bases with no runs. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/12 "2013-06-01T02:53:55Z")
What if the last batter hits a bases-loaded home run, but the runner on third is called out on appeal for missing home plate. Does the batter still get credit for a home run? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-most-hits-in-an-inning-no-runs-scored/659759/13 "2013-06-01T03:35:01Z")
> [@newme](#): > > What if the last batter hits a bases-loaded home run, but the runner on third is called out on appeal for missing home plate. Does the batter still get credit for a home run? Nope It’s scored as a Fielder’s Choice. He doesn’t even get credit for a single, and, of course, no runs count.