Are you ready to see a double in baseball explained? Exactly what is a double in baseball?
Howdy friends and welcome to another exciting edition of baseball 101!
I hope your team is off to a good start this season. My Tigers are looking pretty good, but the A.L. Central looks to be pretty competitive.
We are going to continue addressing the questions we see often with articles that explain the rules with a little more detail than the normal answers.
I feel like most people get a little more clarity to their question when they see how certain scenarios play out.
In today’s post we will define what a double is and go through some plays to see how much damage they can do!
A double in softball is explained the same as in baseball.
Ready or not, let’s get started.
A Double In Baseball Explained
A double in baseball (And Softball Too!) occurs when a batter hits the ball anywhere on the field in fair territory and reaches 2nd base safely. A double is also referred to as a “two-bagger” or “two-base hit”
In order for the hit to be scored as a double, there can be no defensive errors or Fielder’s Choice (FC) on the play.
If there is any defensive errors during the play, the error will change the way the play is scored.
Remember that the determination of an error, and whether or not it negates a hit, is solely determined by the official scorer of the game. In other words, whether or not a hit is scored as a hit depends on the opinion of the official scorer of the game.
How Can An Error Negate A Double?
Let’s run through a quick play to see how a defensive error can negate a double.
The pitcher delivers the pitch and our batter hits a sharp line drive to the center fielder.
Our batter takes off running and sees that the ball made it through the infield, so he rounds 1st base and heads for 2nd.
The center fielder fields the ball cleanly, but seeing the runner headed for 2nd, he rushes the throw and the ball goes rolling through the infield back to the pitcher.
The pitcher is able to field the bad throw and stop the runner from advancing past 2nd base.
While our runner is able to make it to 2nd base safely, he will not be credited with a double.
The play will now be scored as a single for the batter and an error for the center fielder because the runner would not have been able to reach 2nd safely without the benefit of the throwing error.
The play would be scored: Single, or 1b, E-8.
1b = single (1 Base) & E-8 = Error center fielder. 8 is the player position # assigned to the center fielder.
If you’re not familiar with player position numbers, Check Out This Article.
A Double In Baseball Explained: Scenarios
Here’s the set up:
It’s the bottom of the 9th inning with runners already on 2nd and 3rd base.
The batter steps to the plate with his team down by a run.
The batter hits a gapper between the left and center fielder.
The runners on 2nd and 3rd take off running with the crack of the bat.
Our batter rounds 1st base and makes it to 2nd base safely.
The runners on 2nd and 3rd base come home to score.
The batter is credited with 2 RBI’s (Runs Batted In) and a double.
This my friends is what you call a “walk off double!”
Next double scenario:
The pitcher delivers the pitch and our batter hits a deep fly ball over the left fielders head and the ball rolls to the outfield wall.
Our batter hits 1st base and heads for 2nd.
By the time the left fielder gets to the ball, our runner has reached 2nd base and rounds the bag, thinking about going to 3rd.
Our left fielder sees the runner and fumbles around, desperately trying to pick up the ball.
The left fielder finally gets the ball and tries to throw the ball to the 3rd baseman, but our speedy runner beats the throw and slides into 3rd base safely.
In this scenario, although the runner made it to 3rd base safely, they will only be credited with a double due to the error on the part of the left fielder.
If the left fielder had fielded the ball cleanly, the runner should have been held at 2nd base.
The play will be scored: Double, or 2b, E-7.
2B = Double (2 Bases) & E-7 = Error left fielder. 7 is the player position number assigned to the left fielder.
What Does a Stand-up Double Mean?
A stand-up double is a hit that allows the batter to advance to second without having to slide and without a close play being made. If the batter intentionally “rounds” or overruns the base with the intention to advance to third but then returns to second generally that is not considered a Stand-up double. A stand-up double usually means that the batter slowed up before reaching second base without a close play being made. Since a stand-up double is not officially scored as anything other than a double this can be left to interpretation.
A stand-up triple is the same thing only the batter advanced to third without having to slide or there being a close play.
A Double In Baseball Explained: That’s A Wrap!
Think of a double in baseball as 2 bases.
When a batter get a hit and is able to only reach 2nd base safely, without the benefit of a defensive error, they are credited with a double.
A hitter who gets a double can also be credited with up to 3 RBI’s. Every runner who scores when a batter hits a double will be credited to the batter as a run batted in.
While a double may not be quite as sexy as a grand slam home run, they sure can do a lot of damage!
I hope you enjoyed this article on a double in baseball explained.
If you have any other questions, please leave a comment below and I will be happy to help. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by ~Jeremy
P.S. Don’t forget to Stop By Our Tips, Advice & Baseball Rules Page for tons of great info about the greatest game on Earth…Baseball!
