Scenario: There are no outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners are on first and third. The game is tied. The batter hits a slow chopper back to the pitcher. The ball sits up kindly and the pitcher has an easy chance to field it cleanly. The runner at first heads towards second base, and the runner at third stays close to the bag. Unfortunately for the fielding team, the ball bobbles out of the pitcher’s glove and rolls several metres away. Spotting this, the runner at third darts towards home, and despite the pitcher’s best efforts to recover the ball and throw it to the catcher, the runner crosses the plate just in time for the winning run. Even taking the difficulty of fielding as pitcher into account, you adjudicate that the batter-runner reached first on an error.
As the official scorer, would you credit the batter with a run batted in?
A – Yes.
B – No.
Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:
Answer: B – No.
Rule 10.4(a)(3) states:
[The official scorer shall credit the batter with a run batted in for every run that scores] when, before two are out, an error is made on a play on which a runner from third base ordinarily would score.
In light of the game situation and the ease with which the pitcher could have prevented the run, a run batted in cannot be awarded.
