Struck Out to 1st Base!?
 

Maybe some of you guys remember the situation in the 7th inning of last night's Mets - Yankees Game. Two Out. David Wright at bat. Count 2-2. Chien-Ming Wang pitched to dirt. Wright swung. Strike Out Swinging! But, Posada couldn't get control of the ball and Wright jogged to 1st base. Wild Pitch.

Now my questions: If I remember well, it was recorded as Wang's 7th Strike Out of the game, although Wright has been still in the game. Doesn't Strike Out mean the player is out on strikes? Why can a player remain in the game by a Wild Pitch when he was struck out just before?

I'm sure you recognized some confusion in my mind. I would be appreciate if somebody tries to explain me the rule or my misunderstanding.

Cheers from Germany!

Go to your rulebook. Check the section on Scoring. A strikeout requires a put-out for an out to be recorded.

I didn't see the game, but Wang gets credited with the strike out and Wright goes to first base on either a wild pitch charged to Wang or a passed ball charged to Posada. A batter becomes a runner when a third strike is not caught and first base is not occupied with less than two outs or when there are two outs (regardless if first base is occupied). It's rule 6.09(b). http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info...s/batter_6.jsp

Strikeout is a statistical pitching term. Even if the batter isn't put out (in this case, because of a dropped third strike), the pitcher is given credit for throwing three strikes.

It's interesting to note that, because of this rule, a pitcher can record more than 3 strikeouts in an inning. This page might help. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats19.shtml

Thanks a lot for help!

A batter is not retired when he swings and misses or takes a called third strike. He is retired when the pitch is caught by the catcher or he is put out at first base if the pitch is not caught. As others have noted, the pitcher is credited with a strikeout.

The most interesting way that this was explained to me, and it makes a lot of sense, but is that to have an out, the ball has to be caught (or possessed) by the defense completing the out. Essentially, every normal put out results in from a ball being caught (or possessed) by a defender. Of course the obvious exceptions would be the various forms of interference (runner hit by a batted ball, interfering with the catcher or another fielder, etc). With the exception of the interference issues, a dropped/uncaught ball, whether on a third strike, a tag play, or an attempted force out is never an out.

I couldn't disagree more.

How about also out if he is tagged by the catcher with the ball.?

Wow, what a complicated way to look at a simple rule.

Yeah, yeah...don't you have a paper to work on??? :p

I had a pitcher record 5 K's in an inning tonight. 2 of the batters who K'd came around to score. Needless to say, many curveballs in the dirt tonight.

I have so much homework I'm just sick about it!http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_1_119.gif

What is the basis of your disagreement? I know there are exceptions and that the person that taught me this was using a fairly broad generalization, which I accounted for by saying "with the exception". I know its over complicated, but as I said it was just a generalization.

If there are less than 2 outs and first base is occupied, batter is always out on third strike.

This is more to clarify for those non-umpires viewing this thread.