Baseball Rules Trivia

[Ganchrow]

Q: What's the greatest number of total bases (single=1, double=2, triple=3, home run = 4) a team can gain in a single inning without scoring any runs? Explain.

[BigBollocks]

Alright let me take a crack at this one (gotta love sports trivia). My guess would be 12 Ganch with the following reasoning...

Batter #1 gets a triple, and then somehow gets put out.
Batter #2 also gets a triple, and again gets put out.
Batter #3 gets a triple, Batter #4 gets a double with batter #3 not scoring (batter #3 breaks his leg perhaps at the crack of the bat?), and batter #5 gets a single with no runs scored (no pinch runner for batter #3 lol).
3+3+3+2+1 = 12

That's the best I can come up with originally, but I'll be curious to hear the correct answer later....

[tacomax]

This is going to be annoying. I'm going to go for 12:

1st batter - triple - total 3TB - no outs
2nd batter - triple - total 6TB - runner on 3rd out at home - one out
3rd batter - triple - total 9TB - runner on 3rd out at home - two outs
4th batter - double - total 11TB - runner on 3rd doesn't advance - two outs
5th batter - single - total 12TB - no runners advance
6th batter - out - three outs

[tacomax]

That's the best I can come up with originally, but I'll be curious to hear the correct answer later....

I reckon that Ganch is going to uncover some quirk to the baseball rules which makes the answer 43.

[David]

Triple, out at home. +3
Triple, out at home. +3
Triple. +3
Single, runner holds third. +1
Single, runner holds third, other advances to second. +2
Next batter hits a ball that hits a runner. Runner is out, ball is dead, but strangely enough, according to the rules, the batter is credited with a single. +1

13 total bases

[BigBollocks]

I reckon that Ganch is going to uncover some quirk to the baseball rules which makes the answer 43.

lol taco, we both know it's coming

[BigBollocks]

Touché David, touché. Impressive rule pullout

[Ganchrow]

Triple, out at home. +3
Triple, out at home. +3
Triple. +3
Single, runner holds third. +1
Single, runner holds third, other advances to second. +2
Next batter hits a ball that hits a runner. Runner is out, ball is dead, but strangely enough, according to the rules, the batter is credited with a single. +1

13 total bases

You got it.

David -- the man, the myth, the legend.

[Ganchrow]

I'd also add as a caveat that for this to hold the runner would need to be hit in fair territory.

[David]

[DrSlamm]

how is that a caveat.. when they are hit in foul territory most folks refer to that as a foul ball

[Ganchrow]

how is that a caveat.. when they are hit in foul territory most folks refer to that as a foul ball

It's a caveat insofar as it qualifies the original statement.

The statement that the "batter hits a ball that hits a runner [means that the] runner is out, ball is dead, [and] the batter is credited with a single" is true if and only if the runner were to be hit in fair territory.

[DrSlamm]

i believe it is more of a clarification than a caveat

[tacomax]

i believe it is more of a clarification than a caveat

ca·ve·at (kāv'ē-ät', kä'vē-, kā'vē-āt') Pronunciation Key
n.

1.
1. A warning or caution: "A final caveat: Most experts feel that clients get unsatisfactory results when they don't specify clearly what they want" (Savvy).
2. A qualification or explanation.
2. Law A formal notice filed by an interested party with a court or officer, requesting the postponement of a proceeding until the filer is heard.

[Willie Bee]

Triple, out at home. +3
Triple, out at home. +3
Triple. +3
Single, runner holds third. +1
Single, runner holds third, other advances to second. +2
Next batter hits a ball that hits a runner. Runner is out, ball is dead, but strangely enough, according to the rules, the batter is credited with a single. +1

13 total bases

Hate to burst your bubble at this point in time, but a single is only one base. The runner who singled before isn't credited with another base just for moving up. You only have 12 total bases in this scenario.

[Ganchrow]

Hate to burst your bubble at this point in time, but a single is only one base. The runner who singled before isn't credited with another base just for moving up. You only have 12 total bases in this scenario.

Yeah, I missed that in reading his response. But I'll take it as a misprint, however.

The way the line you highlighted and the previous line (the fourth and fifth lines) should have read is:

Double, runner holds third. +2
Single, runners holds third and second. +1

That makes 13 total bases in all.

[wrongturn]

Is it possible to get the 14th when next batter hit a ball to a runner?

[pico]

Is it possible to get the 14th when next batter hit a ball to a runner?

no, 3 outs, inning is over