I’ve watched quite a bit of baseball and never seen 7.05h enforced in such a way as to send the batter to 1st base when a pickoff throw goes into the stands.
Isn’t 7.05i a subset of “dropped third strike”? Granted, the catcher may not have physically dropped the ball, but the batter reaches first for basically the same reason.
A method you missed is for a player to be placed at first as a pinch-runner.
Dear Cecil:
During a slow moment in our Regulation of Gene Expression class at school the other day, the prof posed the following question: “What are the five ways of reaching first base without hitting the ball?” Most of us being graduate students, we had no problem coming up with four–a walk, hit by pitch, dropped third strike, and catcher’s interference–but the fifth, if indeed it exists, remains an unknown. Can you enlighten us? --Geoffrey S., for Bio Science 447, Chicago
Dear Geoff:
The Straight Dope, always willing to go that extra mile, not only gives you number five, but throws in number six, too, at absolutely no extra charge.
According to 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.”
Alternately, according to 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. That is, if they can stop laughing long enough.
DSYoungEsq, I saw that, but I figured some people might wonder if he is misquoting Cecil Adams, and in addition, my life would be empty and meaningless if I couldn’t post the link!
JillGat: thank you little sister. Next time I hope you put some worms in his lunchbox.
You’ve probably never seen rule 7.05(h) enforced because how often does a pickoff throw from a pitcher go into the stands? It would be quite a feat even in a place where the stands are relatively close like Wrigley Field.
Most wild pickoff throws are usually low and skip by the first baseman and then rattle around the fence.
Also the rule states that the pitcher must still be in contact with the pitcher’s plate (i.e. the rubber) while making this throw. If the pitcher has stepped off the rubber, then the regular rules for a bad throw prevail.
As for rule 7.05(i) it is slightly different from a regular dropped third strike. This rule guarantees the runners one base.
The batter would still be out if first base is occupied and less than two are out. However, a runner on first would automatically be granted second.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen pickoff throws go into the dugout, if not the stands. I don’t know why these would be handled differently. If the pitcher is still on the rubber when throwing a pickoff attempt, the runners would be allowed a base regardless of where the ball goes. I’ve never heard of a runner being granted first base, though.
As far as 7.05(i) goes, it still sounds the same as a third strike the catcher misses. The fact that it goes into the stands guarantees that the catcher can’t throw the hitter out at first, and any time a ball goes into the stands all runners advance a base.
7.05(i) only applies to batters on Ball Four or on a Strike Three that has to be caught. It refers to a ball that gets stuck in the umpire’s equipment. The ball is dead in this situation.
So, let’s say there are runners on second and third (the outs are immaterial here). The pitcher throws strike three and it gets by the catcher and get’s stuck in the umpire’s mask. The batter goes to first and the runners on base move up one base.
It looks to me like 7.05(h) is be misinterpreted by all of us. I’ve looked at it a second time and here’s my take on it.
The “one base” means that if a pitcher throws a wild pitch directly into the stands or throws a pickoff directly out of play, the runners on base get one base. The batter doesn’t get anything, unless the wild pitch happens to be ball four.
Rule 7.05 starts out with the phrasing “Each runner including the batter runner may, without liability to be put out, advance …”
However, nothing in 7.05(h) applies to a batter-runner. It just applies to runners.
The ways a batter can legally reach first base without liability to be put out are actually handled in Rule 6.08. Those fair ways being: walk, hit by pitch, interference, and ball hitting umpire or runner before passing an infielder (who isn’t the pitcher.)
All the parts of Rule 7 deal with runners (and batter-runners by extension). Rule 6 deals with everything having to do with a batter.
Rule 7.05(h) as I read it, doesn’t having anything to do with batter-runners.
I think I’ve succeeded in making the picture muddier here.
In case 7.05h, there was a case many years ago where a pitcher (LaMarr Hoyt??) threw a pitch in Boston (to Dwight Evans??) that sailed up and over the screen behind home plate. There was no base awarded the runner because it was not strike three or ball four. The rule does not grant the batter first base on a play like this, or a pickoff, only runners, which the batter is not unless a pitch is ball four or a strike three that is not handled.
As for 7.05i, the runner does not get first base by the ball being lodged in the umpires equipment, he gets first base by the pitch being ball four. In the case of a mishandled strike three, he gets first because the ball became dead. While this is a little different than simply a dropped third strike, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that this is a completely different way to reach first.
I am interested to know what the originator of this question, the college professor, believes to be the 5th way. I have one thought: fielders interference with a pitched ball. Though improbable and extremely dangerous, this must be illegal.
Thanks, you more eloquently expressed what I was trying to get at; i.e., that neither of these rules allows for an additional way to reach first, they’re only obscure occurrences of walks and dropped third strikes.
As I wrote in the original post, I believe the 5th way is to be placed at first as a pinch runner. The original questions reads “What are the five ways of reaching first base without hitting the ball?”, not “What are the five ways FOR A BATTER to reach first base without hitting the ball?”
Of course, one could argue “reaching” implies arrival at first base from the field, not from the bench via player substitution. But, it seems a satisfactory answer to me.
This may be a bit of a stretch, but I believe that if a batter becomes injured while swinging, and hits a home run, a pinch runner is allowed to replace the runner and gets credit for the home run. This is pretty much the same as a pinch runner, except in this case, the pinch runner is the one who “reaches” first base.
If a batter hurts himself on a swing that results in a home run and can’t run the bases, you do indeed have to put in a pinch runner to run around the bases.
In that case, the batter gets credit for an at bat, a hit, a home run, and an RBI. The pinch runner gets credit for a run scored.
I believe this situation has occurred sometime in baseball history, although I have no date for it.
Now that you know where to find them, any future arguments should be easy to settle, right?
I was at last night’s Dodger game against Florida and I saw rule 7.05 (g) applied in the seventh inning. Shawn Green hit a double with Gary Sheffield on first and Devon White on second. As Green ran to second, Marlin first baseman Kevin Millar took the cutoff throw and tried to throw Sheffield out at home. But the throw was short and the ball bounced past the catcher and went into the Dodgers’ dugout. Since Green was on second at the time, he was awarded two bases. IOW, he scored.
