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Originally Posted by Dave Hensley
As evidenced by answers you're receiving, this relatively simple horse of a rule continues to be turned into a zebra by a lot of folks.
"Through or by" means, by professional interpretation, "through the legs of or within the immediate reach of" the fielder. If a ball goes "through or by" the fielder, AND another fielder does not have a play on the ball, then and only then is the runner NOT out.
In any other circumstance, (other than a deflected ball) the runner hit by a batted ball is OUT. If, in your situation, the ball was judged to have NOT been "through or by" using the definition I've stated, then the runner is OUT. No further conditions apply.
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I agree with Dave. The rationale for the rule is that the runner is out when hit by the batted ball, unless he reasonably could expect the ball to be fielded before it got to him (i.e., the ball went through or immediately by the fielder an no other fielder had a play, or the ball was deflected).