Scoring -Fielder's Choice

[tinab105]

I am a mom of a 13u travel ball and school ball baseball player and I am the official scorer for the teams and I use Scorepad on my Palm Pilot. I have a question though that my husband and I seem to keep going back and forth on: If a runner is on first and batter hits the ball to the third baseman and the third baseman doesn't bobble the ball but he takes a look at second and runner is already there so he just doesn't make a throw to any base and all runners are safe. Does the runner on first get scored with a Fielders Choice?? I would say no, because I have read somewhere that unless an out is made on the play then it cannot be scored as a fielders choice...can someone out there help me out?????

[bbjunkie]

FIELDER'S CHOICE is the act of a fielder who handles a fair grounder and, instead of throwing to first base to put out the batter runner, throws to another base in an attempt to put out a preceding runner. The term is also used by scorers

(a) to account for the advance of the batter runner who takes one or more extra bases when the fielder who handles his safe hit attempts to put out a preceding runner;

(b) to account for the advance of a runner (other than by stolen base or error) while a fielder is attempting to put out another runner; and

(c) to account for the advance of a runner made solely because of the defensive team's indifference (undefended steal).

This is the rule. I'm not quite sure how your situation fits, but none of the examples above seem applicable. Except maybe (c). But, it isn't quite on point either. My inclination is that it would either be an error on the fielder or a base hit, but I'm not an authority.

[tinab105]

I am thinking that it would be a base hit since the fielder never really bobbled the ball but did not make an attempt to throw as the rules you quoted...Thanks for the information!

[Perseas]

Exactly! The Fielder's Choice Rule applies if an out is actually recorded. In the case mentioned, it could either be a base hit or an error. Since no throw was actually made and there was no bobble, it has to be a base hit.