sacrifice hit

Information about sacrifice hit

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Juan Pierre of the Los Angeles Dodgers (white uniforms) hit a sacrifice bunt to move the baserunner to third base.


In baseball, a sacrifice hit (also called a sacrifice bunt) is the act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always retired (and to a certain degree that is the intent of the hitter) but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice. Sometimes the batter may safely reach base by simply outrunning the throw to first; this is not scored as a sacrifice hit but rather a single.

The most common situations in which to sacrifice bunt is when there are fewer than two outs and a runner on first base or runners on first and second base. The runners try to advance as soon as they see the ball bunted. A properly executed sacrifice hit in this scenario puts the ball up the first base line with a runner on first, or down the third base line with runners at first and second. This avoids an inning-ending double play and results in the runner(s) advancing to second (and third) base.

A successful sacrifice hit does not count as an at bat and, unlike a sacrifice fly, does not count during the calculation of on base percentage. However, if the scorer believes that the batter was attempting to bunt for a base hit, and not solely to advance the runners, he is not credited with a sacrifice hit and is charged an at bat.

In leagues without a designated hitter, sacrifice bunts are most commonly attempted by pitchers, who generally are not known for their hitting abilities. Managers believe that since their at bat will probably result in an out, they might as well approach it in a style likely to at least advance the runners. Some leadoff hitters also bunt frequently in similar situations and may be credited with a sacrifice, but as they are often highly skilled bunters and faster runners, they are often trying to get on base as well as advance runners.

A sacrifice hit attempted while a runner is on third is called a squeeze play.

Although a sacrifice hit is not the same as a sacrifice fly, both fell under the same statistical category until 1954.

In scoring, a sacrifice hit may be denoted by SH, S, or occasionally, SAC.

Major League Players With 300 or More Sacrifice Hits

The following payers have accumulated 300 or more sacrifice hits in their playing careers: Of players who played significantly prior to 1901, "Wee" Willie Keeler (OF) hit 366 sacrifice hits.

As of August 24, 2007, shortstop Omar Vizquel and pitcher Tom Glavine are the active career leaders with 230 and 211 sacrifice hits, respectively. [1]
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bunt is a special type of offensive technique in baseball or fastpitch softball. In a bunt play, the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.
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In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat.

In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run.
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In baseball, a fielder's choice (abbreviated FC) is most often the act of a fielder, upon fielding a batted ball, choosing to try to put out one runner while in so doing allowing the batter-runner to advance to first base.
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inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring.
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double play (denoted on statistics sheets by DP) for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two", or as Ernie Harwell has coined it, "two for the price of
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at bat (AB) is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance. Plate Appearances= At-Bats + Bases on Balls(Walks) + Hit By Pitch + Sacrifice Hits + Sacrifice Flies + Times Reached on Defensive
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In baseball, a batted ball is considered a sacrifice fly (denoted by SF) if the following four criteria are met:
  • There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.
  • The ball is hit to the outfield.

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In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP) (sometimes referred to as on base average [OBA], as the statistic is rarely presented as a true percentage) is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice,
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In the game of baseball, the official scorer is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field and to send this official record of the game back to the league offices.
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designated hitter (often shortened to DH) is an official position adopted by Major League Baseball's American League in 1973 that allowed teams to boost sagging offensive performances by designating a player to bat in place of the pitcher.
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In baseball, the squeeze play is a technique invented by New York Yankees manager Jake Reid in the 1931 World Series. It consists of a sacrifice bunt with a runner on third and fewer than two outs.
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In baseball, a batted ball is considered a sacrifice fly (denoted by SF) if the following four criteria are met:
  • There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.
  • The ball is hit to the outfield.

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As Player
  • Philadelphia Athletics (1906–1914, 1927-1930)
  • Chicago White Sox (1915-1926)
As Manager
  • Chicago White Sox (1924-1926)
Career Highlights and Awards
  • 1914 AL MVP

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Jacob Ellsworth Daubert (April 7 1884 - October 9 1924) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Superbas[1] and Cincinnati Reds. His career lasted from 1910 until his death in 1924.
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John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (September 19 1890 - February 16 1960) was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1909 through 1927, McInnis played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1909-17), Boston Red Sox (1918-21), Cleveland Indians (1922), Boston Braves
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Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (October 8 1887 - March 28 1972), was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers (1908-1921) and the Washington Senators (1921-1923).
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Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player, spending his entire career as a shortstop for Cleveland.

He is the only Major League Baseball player to have been killed in a game, when he was hit in the head by a pitch
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William Lawrence "Larry" Gardner (May 13 1886 - March 11 1976) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1908 through 1924, Gardner played for the Boston Red Sox (1908-17), Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians (1919-1924).
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As Player
  • Boston Red Sox (1907-1915)
  • Cleveland Indians (1916-1926)
  • Washington Senators (1927)
  • Philadelphia Athletics (1928)
As Manager
  • Cleveland Indians (1919-1926)
Career Highlights and Awards

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    Walter James Vincent Maranville (November 11, 1891 - January 5, 1954), better known as Rabbit Maranville, was a Major League Baseball shortstop. At the time of his retirement in 1935, he had played in a record 23 seasons in the National League, a mark which wasn't broken
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    William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 - January 1, 1923) in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York
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    Omar Vizquel

    San Francisco Giants — No. 13
    Shortstop
    Born: March 24 1967 (1967--) (age 40)
    Bats:
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    Tom Glavine

    Free Agent — No. 47
    Starting Pitcher
    Born: March 25 1966 (1966--) (age 41)
    Bats: Left
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