sab@houti.UUCP (06/20/83)
I'm not too satisfied with most of the other ways for a batter to reach first base. The six I offered were completely disjoint, and most of the others overlap somehow with at least one of these. Exception: Fielder's interference is a good one that I missed, provided that it is actually scored "officially" as such, and not as an error or a hit. A dropped third strike is either an error on the catcher or pitcher, depending on whether it was a passed ball or a wild pitch. Concerning a balk without runners on base, what about a catcher's balk? If the catcher leaves his "box" before the pitch is thrown, it is a balk. But this is an error. As for reaching first when a runner is hit by the ball, someone noted that this is scored a hit. This may be right, but I think that the official scorer decides whether it should be a hit or a fielder's choice. Would the person who originally posted the question please reappear with the answers you were looking for (with justification). Scott
berry@fortune.UUCP (06/22/83)
#R:houti:-30900:fortune:10500002:000:298 fortune!berry Jun 21 13:14:00 1983 There is still no such thing as a balk with no one on base. I don't have my rule book handy but a balk is defined is an illegal pitch with runners on base, or something very close to that. In any case there is a distinction between an illegal pitch (no one on base) and a balk (someone on base).