In baseball, when a player intentionally foregoes the opportunity to get a hit for a strategic team objective, it is most commonly referred to as a sacrifice. This strategic play is designed to advance runners already on base, often at the cost of the batter getting on base themselves or even recording an out.
Understanding the Sacrifice Play
A sacrifice play is a tactical maneuver where a batter deliberately puts the ball in play in a specific way, accepting that they will likely not get a hit. The primary goal is to help other runners advance to scoring position or score a run.
The most common types of sacrifices are:
- Sacrifice Bunt (SH)
- Sacrifice Fly (SF)
The Sacrifice Bunt (SH)
A sacrifice bunt occurs when a batter successfully bunts the ball with the specific intent of advancing a runner (or multiple runners) at least one base. In doing so, the batter is effectively sacrificing themselves—accepting that they will likely be out—in order to move another runner closer to scoring.
Key characteristics of a sacrifice bunt:
- The batter intentionally makes contact with the ball using a "bunting" motion (holding the bat steady to deflect the ball).
- The primary goal is to move a base runner.
- It is not counted as an at-bat for the batter, which means it does not negatively affect their batting average.
- It is also not recorded as a hit for the batter.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To advance base runners, especially from first to second, or second to third, setting up scoring opportunities. |
| Outcome | Batter is usually out, but base runners advance safely. |
| Scoring | Recorded as a sacrifice bunt (SH), not an at-bat (AB) or a hit. |
| Strategic Use | Often used in close games, especially with a runner on first or second base and fewer than two outs, to get a runner into scoring position (second or third base). |
Example: If a runner is on first base with no outs, the batter might execute a sacrifice bunt to move that runner to second base. Even if the batter is thrown out at first, the team now has a runner in scoring position with one out.
The Sacrifice Fly (SF)
A sacrifice fly occurs when a batter hits a fly ball deep enough into the outfield that a runner on third base can tag up after the catch and score a run.
Key characteristics of a sacrifice fly:
- The ball is caught in the outfield.
- A runner on third base scores after the catch.
- Like a sacrifice bunt, it is not counted as an at-bat for the batter and is not recorded as a hit.
- It is recorded as a run batted in (RBI) for the batter.
Why Teams "Give Up a Hit"
Teams employ sacrifice plays because they prioritize scoring runs over individual batting statistics. While a hit gets a player on base and boosts their average, a sacrifice directly contributes to advancing runners or scoring, which is crucial for winning games. It's a selfless act that underscores the team-oriented nature of baseball strategy.
Sacrifice plays are a fundamental part of small-ball strategy, aiming to move runners incrementally around the bases to manufacture runs.
