Intro to Baseball: Errors

[@jawojnicki]

This is the BEST teaching of baseball rules (not just this, but ALL of your vids) I have ever been privileged to receive. THANK YOU so much for your great diagrams and clear instruction. Please keep them coming!

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

Thanks, I appreciate it. Glad you enjoy them!

[@jawojnicki]

TheOnDeckCircle Do you have (or could you do) a video about how to determine which pitcher gets credit for a win , a loss , or a "no decision", or a "save"? I've been watching baseball for 33 yrs and never fully understood this. THANKS!

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

jawojnicki Search on my channel for "pitcher wins," there is one for wins, losses, and saves. It can get confusing!

[@TheApache101]

New fan to MLB this helped a lot thanks.

[@gbeaudette]

A very nice, solid explanation. The one thing that might be missing is that a double play can't be assumed. So if, say, a 2nd baseman got the first out of a double play at second, but makes a poor throw that allows the batter to reach first, it's simply a Fielder's Choice and there is no error.

[@alzee28]

Thank you for this comment. I was about to ask that very question before I saw your explanation. Big thanks to @TheOnDeckCircle for this series. Hugely informative and helpful.

[@gammondog]

The concept of prolonging the presence of the batter or the runners on bases as being a determinate of an error never crossed my mind until now. It raises the question of how to score the situation when the fielder muffs a foul ball, then, on a later pitch, the batter makes what would usually be scored a hit on my score card. I would probably score it as a hit for the batter and just footnote the fielders error on the margin of the score sheet. Your series on baseball is fantastic. The illustrations simplify things and the descriptions are easy to understand.

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

You're exactly right. It's two different situations, so the fielder would get the error, but the batter would still get credit for his hit. This hardly ever happens, so you don't usually see space for it on a scorecard, but I would do what you said too and write it in the margin.

[@rationsofrationality2510]

great video. I clicked on the link not knowing anything, and now I feel informed. Thank you

[@nic3guy5585]

Very helpful. Not a big baseball fan so I've wondered what the hell an error is my whole life. That shit ends today good sir....thanks to you.👍🏻

[@BrockMak]

6:47 So do tactical errors don't count as one, then? For example: I'm an extremely left-handed contact pull hitter, but someone was unaware of this and told the infield to shift to deep and towards 3rd base, and I managed to hit, drop short towards the right fielder and get a base hit. Had the infield also shifted towards first base, I would had easily been caught out. Is that an error?

[@philmccracken179]

No

[@tyca659]

Not at all.. maybe for the manager unofficially, but that's your hit

[@lxckdown32]

If a fly ball is hit into right center. And the right fielder jumps to make the catch. The ball hits his glove. And the runner on third leaves to run home after it hits the right fielders glove. And bounces out , but still in the air. But the center fielder is backing up the play. Catches the ball that bounced out of the right fielders glove. Never touching the ground. Does the runner on third have to go back to third since 5he ball was caught. He left after the ball bounced out of the right fielders glove. Answer( No he doesn’t. All the ball has to do if be touched by a defensive player. Then the runner can proceed at his own risk). So the run scores, but the batter is still out.

[@danhansell2799]

Question. Suppose there's a runner at 3rd with less than two out and the batter hits a deep fly ball but the OF commits an error by dropping the ball. Statistically, is the batter awarded a SAC fly since the runner certainly would have scored if the ball was caught? Or is this counted as a straight error and therefore an out on his stat sheet ?

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

Very good question. I believe it's actually both. 9.08d2 says it's a sac fly for the hitter and he'll get the RBI, but it's also allowing a batter to advance, which is within the definition of an error. So it appears, it would be a Sac Fly for the batter, but also an error for the fielder.

[@ryanvannice7878]

Sac fly, reaching base on the error

[@nycaztecdc]

Thank you for this great explainer video. Question though - is it only possible for a member of the defense to be charged with an error? For example, what if a batter hits a line drive to left field, resulting in what would be an ordinary single - but - the batter trips and falls over repeatedly on the way to 1st base (maybe drunk?), or, perhaps the batter starts his baserunning from the batter's box to 3rd base, an obvious mental error on the batter-turned-baserunner? Would that be an error when he's tagged out or forced out at 1st?

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

Only defensive players can get errors. There's an old phrase that "mental errors are not [necessarily] errors." So there are even some times when a defensive player can do something so ridiculous that it seems like he should get an error, but it doesn't technically count as an error. An offensive player who keeps messing up as you described would probably just be taken out of the game and have a lot of upset teammates, haha.

[@nycaztecdc]

@@TheOnDeckCircle Ok, great, thanks

[@doughy_]

what do they do??? are they just stats, or do they do anything in game

[@philmccracken179]

Just stats

[@Posby95]

Excellent. I have a few questions regarding errors: 1) Throwing to the wrong base is not an error. How is it scored, then? All advancements are made on the fielder's choice? 2) Why do wild pitches and passed balls not constitute an error? 3) Why do mental mistakes not constitute an error?

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

+Posby95 1) Usually yes, it would be a fielder's choice. If there is no play at the base though--say bases are empty, the batter hits a ground ball to the third baseman and he throws the ball to second base for some reason, that would probably be considered an error. 2) WP and PB are not errors, basically because the pitcher and catcher handles the ball so much more than every other player, so they are at an unfair advantage there. 3) My guess is that it can be really hard to prove what a player was thinking or trying to do. Although again, like what I said about throwing to the wrong base, that can be charged as an error.

[@Posby95]

TheOnDeckCircle Regarding the throw-to-wrong-base question: Runners on second and third. First baseman fields a hard batted ball far from first base. Thinking there is a runner on first, he throws to second base instead of running back to first bag because he thinks there is no time to throw out the speedy runner from third. No out is made and all runners advance; even a run scores. Fielder's choice or error?

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

+Posby95 That's a good question, I'm not sure there's a definite answer. You could certainly make the argument to charge the first baseman with an error because he physically threw the ball. It would be at the scorekeeper's discretion though.

[@philmccracken179]

Deep questions man!! I’m gonna take some shrooms and get back to you😎

[@miomircvetanovic9776]

For someone who is new to baseball can you give an estimate how many runs are scored by the team at bat due to an error on average?

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

The majority of the time, it won't directly result in any runs scored at all. It just kind of depends whether there are already runners on base when it happens. Most errors will just lead to a runner advancing one or two bases, or a batter reaching first base when he wouldn't have otherwise.

[@sillysausage6522]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@jeffwilde8270]

I love baseball but Errors make absolutely no sense, could you imagine attempting to call an Error in Football or Hockey or any other sport. Ludicrous

[@theshawshankinception1220]

Ivan never get my head over the fact that a batter who HITS the ball and REACHES BASE is not credited with a hit if the fielder makes an error. Like, why can’t that be a hit AS WELL AS an error? These are the kind of things that make baseball stupid and outdated sometimes.

[@igordovlev7164]

2:53 wasnt that a flyout?

[@hifijohn]

Yes if the left fielder caught the ball before it hit the ground.the runner to first would be out and that would be one more out for the team at bat.

[@thuggeegaming659]

This is honestly a stupid rule. This seems to reward sucking at the game. If you screw up and fumble the ball, that's your fault, the batter shouldn't be punished for your suckage.

[@theshawshankinception1220]

Exactly! Ivan never get my head over the fact that a batter who HITS the ball and REACHES BASE is not credited with a hit if the fielder makes an error. Like, why can’t that be a hit AS WELL AS an error? These are the kind of things that make baseball stupid and outdated sometimes.

[@jimgahn9188]

Catcher’s interference is simply ruled an E2.

[@powerranger9547]

So errors are mostly about stats? obviously they'll affect the game as any mistake would in any sport

[@TheOnDeckCircle]

+Jerbear You're exactly right, the play on the field as far as runners or the batter advancing to the next base will be the same whether or not something is ruled a hit or an error.

[@hifijohn]

It depends, if one team is leading by say 10 runs late in the game any error by the other team really doesnt matter,its very almost impossible to catch up with that big of a difference.Also if the leading team makes errors and give the trailing team a few runs it also doesnt matter because its almost impossible to catch up. errors by players or umpires matter if the two teams are with say 4 or runs of each other and its early in the game.

[@michaellyga4726]

Just watch a Mets game and you'll understand.