Force play

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A force play is a game situation in baseball in which a baserunner is forced to leave the base on which he was standing during the pitch and to advance to the next base. The situation results from the rule that only one attacker can stand on each base.

The batsman is always in a force play situation as soon as he puts the ball into play, since after a stroke he has to clear the batters box for the next batter and is therefore forced to run to first base.

A runner on first base is also generally in a force play situation. If the batsman puts the ball into play and tries to get to first base, the runner must advance from first base to second base. If there is also a runner on second base at the same time, he is also in the force play situation and must move up to third base. The compulsion to advance is thus propagated and can lead to a runner having to move up to home plate if all bases are occupied by attackers beforehand, the so-called bases loaded situation.

A force play situation resolves as soon as the advancing runner or batsman is turned "off". This is often done by a fly out , in which the batsman is made "out" and the runners return to the base on which they were at the time of the pitch.

Forced runner

A runner becomes a forced runner as soon as he is in a force play situation.

Force Base

The force base is the base that comes after the base on which the forced runner stood during the pitch. For a runner on first base, second base is therefore the forced base. For a runner on second base it is accordingly third base.

Force Out

A forced runner is out as soon as a defense player touches the force base with the ball under control before the forced runner touches it.