In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each

In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. In fact, the goal of batting is generally to produce baserunners, or help move baserunners along. In Baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing Pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team Runners on second or third base are considered to be in scoring position since a normal hit, even a single, will often score them. In the sport of Baseball, a Baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or Third base. Part of the goal of a runner and a batter is to get the runner into scoring position.

Becoming a runner

For any baserunning to occur, a batter must initially become a baserunner. Listed in decreasing order of frequency, this happens when:

• he hits a fair ball,
• he receives a base on balls,
• he is hit by a pitch,
• a third strike is not caught or is dropped by the catcher, providing first base is unoccupied or there are two outs, or
• the catcher or any fielder interferes with him

The batter-runner

The term batter-runner is used in official terminology to identify an offensive player from the time he puts a fair ball into play (thereby ceasing to be a batter) until the end of the play he initiated, whether the play results in the player being put out or becoming a runner by legally attaining first base or any subsequent base. In Baseball, a fair ball is a batted ball that has not yet become a Foul ball, and that A base on balls ( BB) is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in Baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire In Baseball, hit by pitch ( HBP) or hit batsman ( HB) refers to the batter being hit in some part of the body by a pitch from the In Baseball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes inaccurately referred to as a dropped third strike) occurs when the Catcher fails to cleanly Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. In Baseball, interference is an infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run The term is generally not applied if the batter hits a foul ball or to a player awarded first base, e. g. , for a base on balls.

Running the bases

Pick-off attempt on runner (in red) at first base

A runner who is touching a base which he is entitled to occupy may not be tagged out. Runners may attempt to advance from base to base on any fair ball that touches the ground. When a ball is hit in the air (i. e. , a fly ball) and caught by the defending team, runners must return and touch the base they occupy—called tagging up—after the ball is legally caught. In baseball, a catch occurs when a fielder gains secure possession of a batted ball In flight, and maintains possession In Baseball, to tag up is to retouch or remain on the runner's Time-of-pitch base until (after the ball is first touched by a Fielder. Once they do this, they may attempt to advance at their own risk. On a ball that touches the ground in fair territory, if there is a force, runners are required to run. In Baseball, a force is a situation when a Baserunner is compelled (or forced) to vacate his time-of-pitch base--and thus try to advance

Baserunners may attempt to advance at any time while the ball is alive, even before or while the pitcher is throwing a pitch. In Baseball, when the Ball is alive (or in play) the game can proceed In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of In Baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play The catcher—or pitcher, in lieu of delivering the pitch—often tries to prevent this by throwing the ball to one of the infielders in order to tag the runner. This pick-off attempt is usually unsuccessful in tagging out the runner but is effective in keeping the runner closer to the base. If the runner is tagged out while diving back to the base, it is called a pickoff. In Baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher throwing a live ball to a Fielder so that the fielder would Tag out a Baserunner If the runner attempts to advance to the next base but is tagged out before reaching it safely, he is caught stealing. A successful attempt by the runner is called a stolen base. In Baseball, a stolen base occurs when a Baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the Pitcher is delivering the ball to Home plate If a pitch gets away from the catcher, runners may also try to advance. This may be a wild pitch, if the pitcher is held responsible for the ball getting away, or a passed ball if the catcher is deemed to be at fault. In Baseball, a wild pitch (abbreviated WP) is charged against a Pitcher when his pitch is too high too short or too wide of Home In Baseball, a Catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that with ordinary effort should have been Sometimes the defending team will ignore a runner who is trying to steal a base; in this case a runner is not credited with a steal, and the base is attributed to defensive indifference.

Strategy

The standard dimensions of a baseball field, with 90 feet (27. 4 m) between bases, generate many close baserunning plays. On one hand, an infielder who cleanly fields a ball hit on the ground, then throws it quickly and accurately, will usually get the ball to a base before the runner reaches it. However, any hesitation or mistake on the part of the fielder may allow the runner to reach the base safely. Teams that are familiar with their opposition may attempt to run when a certain player has the ball. For example, on a deep fly ball to center field with a man on second base, if the center fielder is known to have a weak arm, the runner on second base may attempt to tag up to get to third, even though that is a risky play. A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the Outfielder in Baseball who plays defense in center field - the baseball fielding position Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that

Baserunning and hitting are often combined to produce better results. Smart, quick base running is a key element in the squeeze play. In Baseball, the squeeze play is a maneuver consisting of a Sacrifice bunt with a runner on Third base. The hit and run and similar plays involve baserunning. A hit and run is a play in Baseball in which the Baserunners are in motion before the ball is hit and the batter attempts to make contact with the When the count is full and there are two outs, runners with a force behind them will always run as if they were stealing, since they cannot be caught stealing: a strike is the third out, a walk entitles him to the next base, a foul is not in play, and the runner should be running on any ball hit into play. This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms phrases and other Jargon used in Baseball, and their definitions including illustrative Also, good runners will often try get extra bases when a play is being made at a different base. For example, when there is someone at second and a player hits a shallow single, if there is a play at home plate, the runner who hit the single might try to get to second (though this would be scored as a single with the batter advancing to second on the throw, rather than a double).

Sometimes runners can be helpful even after they are out. The most common way to do this is during a potential double play. This article is about Baseball. For double play Magnetic tape, see Audio tape length and thickness. If a double play has begun, and the runner running to second knows he will be forced out, he will often try to aid the runner running to first base by performing a take-out slide, to stop the player with the ball from throwing to first. In Baseball, a slide is when a player acting as a Baserunner, drops his body to the ground once he is very close to a base he is approaching Some versions of such a slide could be considered offensive interference in amateur competition, but this maneuver is traditionally tolerated in professional baseball. In physics interference is the addition ( superposition) of two or more Waves that result in a new wave pattern

Some tag plays are so close that the slide performed by the runner affects the outcome. In Baseball, a slide is when a player acting as a Baserunner, drops his body to the ground once he is very close to a base he is approaching The right type of slide with the right location might allow the runner to be safe, while a conventional slide might allow the defending player to lay down the tag in time.

See Also

• Official Rules of Major League Baseball "The Runner"