Error (baseball)

In addition to runs and hits, an error in baseball is the third rating category that is listed in a results table for a game result. An error often has an impact on the outcome of the game and is the only defensive category that is mentioned in the simple game result. The number of errors per game is usually low, especially in the professional leagues, and often no or only one error occurs.

meaning

Only an incorrect action by a defensive player is called an error; if an offensive player makes a mistake in the sense of the game, this can also be included in the statistics of the game, but always has a different name. The consequence of an error is always the advancement of one or more players by at least one base or the extension of the right to strike for a batter. It follows, conversely, that the failure of a fielder is only evaluated as error if by the action an offensive player , a base progresses or a batter at bat remains, even though he already off could be.

Types of Errors

Derek Jeter fails to catch the ball (Missed Catch Error) .

The most common errors are throwing or catching errors. The official scorekeeper assesses the situation and decides which player caused the error. Example: If the shortstop throws to the first baseman in order to make an out there and this action does not succeed because the ball cannot be brought under control, there may be a throwing error of the shortstop or an error the first baseman catching the ball (missed catch error) . On the score sheet , the statistics sheet, which is part of the official match report, it is noted who is responsible for the error. If the ball is thrown too high or too far to the side so that it cannot be caught, one speaks of an error (overthrow) . A fielding error is when a ball hit the ground is mishandled by the player when it is picked up. Even when catching a beaten ball from the air, an error (flyball) is decided if a defensive player could have caught the ball without any particular difficulty - the rules speak of ordinary effort - but drops it to the ground and a runner advances or the batter reaches a base. From this description in the official rules it follows that the subjective assessment by the scorer decides whether there is an error.

In addition to the frequent throwing and catching errors , there are also so-called mental errors , i.e. actions in which the ball was always safely handled, but was, for example, thrown at a base where no play against an attacker could take place. These do not belong to the errors and are therefore not included in the statistics, with two exceptions: If a player throws the ball into the area outside the boundaries of the playing field or rolls it to the mound because he mistakenly considers the inning to be over, this is an error to score.

An error does not constitute a reason for the game to be interrupted, an action is only interrupted by the umpire if the ball enters the deadball territory , i.e. the area outside the boundaries of the playing field, and is thus declared no longer playable.

Presentation in the result

The game result is shown as a two-line table. In addition to the columns with the runs for each innings and the total number of R us there is one column each for the entire H its and E rrors each team, in this example the fifth meeting of the World Series 1980:

Game 5 - World Series 1980
team	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	R.	H	E.
Philadelphia Phillies	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	4th	7th	0
Kansas City Royals	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	12	2

Here you can see that Philadelphia had fewer hits than Kansas City, but possibly the Royals' two errors tipped the balance in favor of the Phillies. It is not imperative that errors have a decisive influence on the outcome of the game, but they are often formative for the course of the game.

Remarkable

It is very rare for a professional player to make several errors in a game. It is all the more remarkable that in the All-Star Game 2008, in which the best MLB players met, Dan Uggla , the second baseman of the National League team, made a total of three errors. However, these had no direct influence on the result, but earned him an inglorious record and public derision.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Christian Posny, Sven Müncheberg: baseball rules book . Revised 2007. Ed .: Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e. V. 6. revised. Edition. Meyer & Meyer, Aachen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89899-365-4 , 10.12, p. 162-167 .

↑ MLB Playing Rules Committee: MLB - Official Rules: 10.00 The Official Scorer ( English ) In: Official Rules (# 10.12) . mlb.com. 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.

↑ Willie Bans: All-Star miscues no worry to Uggla ( English ) mlb.com. 2008. Accessed on September 23, 2008. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2
↑ Jerry Crasnick: Uggla delivers a big stinker in National League's loss ( English ) ESPN.com. 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.

[OBR-1] Christian Posny, Sven Müncheberg: baseball rules book . Revised 2007. Ed .: Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband e. V. 6. revised. Edition. Meyer & Meyer, Aachen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89899-365-4 , 10.12, p. 162-167 .

[2] MLB Playing Rules Committee: MLB - Official Rules: 10.00 The Official Scorer ( English ) In: Official Rules (# 10.12) . mlb.com. 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.