# Challenging questions I need to know the answer to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2000, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998 "2000-04-09T14:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jrh590](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jrh590](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrh590)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/1 "2000-04-09T14:53:00Z")
My neighbor bet me ten bucks I could not find 7 ways to get to first without a hit. I already know four. (walk, hit by a pitch, catchers interferance, and dropped third strike).I read him the answers 5 and 6 you responded to someones previous question and he said he had two others than those. Please help me. Thanks. ``` JRH590 ``` ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/2 "2000-04-09T15:05:00Z")
Seven ways to reach 1st base without a hit? 1. Walk 2. Hit by Pitch 3. Run to first after catcher drops 3rd strike 4. Catcher’s interference 5. Error (throwing error by shortstop, drop by 1st baseman, whatever) 6. Fielder’s choice (Example: There’s a man on 1st, I hit a grounder to second base, the runner is thrown out, but I end up safe at first.) 7. Uh… can’t think of another right now. You sure it wasn’t “Seven ways to reach first base,” period? ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/3 "2000-04-09T15:21:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Seven ways to reach 1st base without a hit? 1.Take her to a nice restaurant 2. Open the door for her 3. Be especially nice to her parents 4. Don’t rush try and rush her into anything 5. wait…you were talking about baseball weren’t you!!! oh sorry. * * * I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. Yours truly, aha ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2000, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/4 "2000-04-10T05:44:00Z")
Cecil on [How to get to first without hitting the ball](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_299.html) . Send his cut in care of the Chicago Reader. * * * [NYC IRL III](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006163.html) is on April 15th. Do you have what it takes? ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/5 "2000-04-09T18:38:00Z")
Cecil’s answer only lists six ways, and the original post asked for seven. I’ve always wondered if being sent in as a pinch runner would count. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Derfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lord\_Derfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Derfel)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/6 "2000-04-09T19:31:00Z")
What about a balk? That gets the runner a base, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/7 "2000-04-09T20:13:00Z")
Balks advance runners who are already on base. I don’t think that a balk will advance a person to first, even if the pitcher balks when the bases are empty… Okay, let’s see here… How to get to First base… (1) A hit of some sort (2) An error of some sort (3) A base on balls (Walk) (4) Being hit by the pitch (5) Strike out with a passsed ball (6) Catchers interferance (7) Fielders choice What do I win? * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/8 "2000-04-09T20:19:00Z")
Sorry Satan, **(1) A hit of some sort** is ruled out by the OP. The real answer is: [list=1][li]Error\*[/li][li]a walk[/li][li]hit by pitch,[/li][li]dropped third strike,[/li][li]catcher’s interference[/li][li]Official Rule 7.05 (h), the batter and base runners get one base “if a ball, pitched to the batter or thrown by the pitcher from his position on the pitcher’s plate to a base to catch a runner, goes into a stand, or player’s bench, or over or through a field fence or backstop, or is touched by a spectator.”[/li][li]7.05 (i), “on ball four or strike three, when the pitch misses the catcher and lodges in the umpire’s mask or paraphernalia,” the batter and runners are entitled to advance one base.[/list=1][/li] \*An error requires the batter to hit the ball, but is not a “hit” according to the official score. * * * Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenging-questions-i-need-to-know-the-answer-to/9998/9 "2000-04-09T20:20:00Z")
Oh and: 8. Fielder’s Choice