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{{Short description|In baseball, a ball intentionally hit for a fly out, with the goal of advancing base runners}}
{{Other uses | Sacrifice (disambiguation)}}
In [[baseball]], a '''sacrifice fly''' (sometimes abbreviated to '''sac fly''') is defined by Rule 9.08(d):<ref name="MLB Rules">[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/official_rules.jsp Official Rules | MLB.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
"Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair or foul territory that
# is caught, and a run scores after the catch, or
# is dropped, and a runner scores, if in the scorer's judgment the runner could have scored after the catch had the fly ball been caught."


⚫
They are so named because the batter allows a teammate to score a run, while "sacrificing" his or her ability to do so. They are traditionally recorded in [[box score (baseball)|box scores]] with the designation "SF".
In [[baseball]], a '''sacrifice fly''' (sometimes abbreviated to '''sac fly''') is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:

* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.
* The ball is hit to the [[outfield]] (fair or foul), or to [[infield foul territory]].
** If there is a weak infield fly and 2 errors the batter will not get credited with an [[Run batted in|RBI]].
* The batter is put out because an outfielder (or an [[infielder]] running in the outfield, or foul territory) catches the ball on the [[Types of batted balls in baseball|fly]] (alternatively if the batter would have been out if not for an [[Error (baseball)|error]] or if the outfielder drops the ball and another runner is put out).
* A runner who is already on base scores on the play.

⚫
It is called a "sacrifice" fly because the batter presumably intends to allow a teammate to score a run, while sacrificing his own ability to do so. Sacrifice flies are traditionally recorded in [[box score (baseball)|box scores]] with the designation "SF".


== Rules ==
== Rules ==


As addressed within Rule 10.08(d) of the Official Baseball Rules,<ref name="Official Baseball Rules">[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/foreword.jsp Official Baseball Rules ]</ref> a sacrifice fly is not counted as a turn [[at bat]] for the batter, though the batter is credited with a [[run batted in]].
As addressed within Rule 9.02(a)(1) of the Official Baseball Rules<ref name="MLB Rules"/> a sacrifice fly is not counted as a time [[at bat]] for the batter, though the batter is credited with a [[run batted in]]. The same is true with a [[Bases loaded|bases-loaded]] [[Base on balls|walk]] or [[hit by pitch]].


The purpose of not counting a sacrifice fly as an at-bat is to avoid penalizing hitters for a successful action. The sacrifice fly is one of two instances in baseball where a batter is not charged with a time at bat after putting a ball in play; the other is the [[sacrifice hit]] (also known as a sacrifice bunt). But, while a sacrifice fly doesn't affect a player's [[batting average]], it counts as a [[plate appearance]], thus lowering his [[on-base percentage]], and a player on a [[hitting streak]] will have the hit streak end if he has no official at-bats but has a sacrifice fly. The reason for this is that the sacrifice fly, unlike the sacrifice bunt, is not considered a tactical maneuver (players don't try to hit a fly ball to advance a runner). Unlike a sacrifice bunt, which may be scored if a runner advances from any base to any base, a sacrifice fly is only credited if a runner scores on the play. Therefore, when a runner on first or second base tags on a fly ball and advances no further than third base, no sacrifice is given and the batter is charged with an at-bat. Also, if a runner tags and advances from second base (or, theoretically, from first base) all the way to home and scores (without an intervening error) the batter is credited with a sacrifice fly, as well as a second RBI if a runner on third also scores. At the professional level this will only typically occur in unusual circumstances that prevent the defense from making an immediate throw back to the infield, such as an outfielder colliding with the wall while making a catch on the warning track.
The purpose of not counting a sacrifice fly as an at-bat is to avoid penalizing hitters for a successful action. The sacrifice fly is one of two instances in baseball where a batter is not charged with a time at bat after putting a ball in play; the other is the [[sacrifice hit]] (also known as a sacrifice bunt). But, while a sacrifice fly does not affect a player's [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], it counts as a [[plate appearance]] and lowers the [[on-base percentage]]. A player on a [[hitting streak]] will have it end with no official at-bats but a sacrifice fly.


Unlike a sacrifice bunt, which may be scored if a runner advances from any base to any base, a sacrifice fly is credited only if a runner scores on the play. Therefore, when a runner on first or second base [[Tag up|tags]] on a fly ball and advances no further than third base, no sacrifice is given, and the batter is charged with an at-bat. Also, if a runner tags and advances from second base (or, theoretically, from first base) all the way to home and scores (without an intervening error), the batter is credited with a sacrifice fly, as well as with a second RBI if a runner on third also scores. At the professional level this will typically occur only in unusual circumstances that prevent the defense from making an immediate throw back to the infield, such as an outfielder colliding with the wall while making a catch on the warning track.
The sacrifice fly is credited even if another runner is put out on appeal for failing to [[tag up]], so long as a run scores prior to the third out. In the case of a fly ball dropped for an error, the sacrifice fly is only credited if the official scorer believes the run would have scored had the ball been caught.


The sacrifice fly is credited even if another runner is put out, so long as the run scores. The sacrifice fly is credited on a dropped ball even if another runner is forced out by reason of the batter becoming a runner.
On any fly ball, a runner can attempt to advance bases right as a fielder touches the ball. If the fielder bobbles the ball, the runner may still tag up, even before the fielder has full control of the ball (before the fielder is credited with a putout). The rule works this way because a smart fielder can theoretically purposely bobble the ball and run with it at the same time towards the infield and only completely catch it when he is within a good throwing distance to home plate. As addressed in the Official Baseball Rules,<ref name="Official Baseball Rules"/> this was put into the baseball rulebook so it prevented these fielders from intentionally bobbling the ball.


==Records==
==Records==
The most sacrifice flies by a team in one game is five; the record was established by the [[Seattle Mariners]] in 1988, tied by the [[Colorado Rockies]] in 2006,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260607127|title=Torrealba's slam, five sac flies power Rockies past Bucs|publisher=ESPN.com|date=June 7, 2006|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and tied again by the Mariners in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2004351837&zsection_id=2002990524&slug=mari16&date=20080416|title=Seattle Mariners ride flurry of sacrifice flies to 11-6 victory over Kansas City Royals|date=April 16, 2008|first=Larry|last=Stone|publisher=Seattle Times}}.</ref>
The most sacrifice flies by a team in one game in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) is five; the record was established by the [[Seattle Mariners]] in 1988, tied by the [[Colorado Rockies]] in 2006,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260607127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615153732/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260607127|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 15, 2006|title=Torrealba's slam, five sac flies power Rockies past Bucs|work=ESPN.com|date=June 7, 2006|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> and tied again by the Mariners in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2004351837&zsection_id=2002990524&slug=mari16&date=20080416|title=Seattle Mariners ride flurry of sacrifice flies to 11-6 victory over Kansas City Royals|date=April 16, 2008|first=Larry|last=Stone|newspaper=Seattle Times}}.</ref>


Five teams have collected three sacrifice flies in an inning: the [[Chicago White Sox]] (fifth inning, July 1, 1962 against the [[Cleveland Indians]]); the [[New York Yankees]] twice (fourth inning, June 29, 2000 against the [[Detroit Tigers]] and third inning, August 19, 2000 against the [[Anaheim Angels]]); the [[New York Mets]] (second inning, June 24, 2005 against the Yankees); and the [[Houston Astros]] (seventh inning, June 26, 2005 against the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]).<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/sacrifice_flies_records.shtml]</ref> In these cases one or more of the flies did not result in a putout due to an error.
Five MLB teams have collected three sacrifice flies in an inning: the [[Chicago White Sox]] (fifth inning, July 1, 1962, against the [[Cleveland Indians]]); the [[New York Yankees]] twice (fourth inning, June 29, 2000, against the [[Detroit Tigers]] and third inning, August 19, 2000, against the [[Anaheim Angels]]); the [[New York Mets]] (second inning, June 24, 2005, against the Yankees); and the [[Houston Astros]] (seventh inning, June 26, 2005, against the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]).<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/sacrifice_flies_records.shtml Sacrifice Flies Records<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In these cases one or more of the flies did not result in a putout due to an error.


Since the rule was reinstated in its present form in 1954, [[Gil Hodges]] of the [[Los Angeles Dodgers| Dodgers]] holds the record for most sacrifice flies in one season with 19, in 1954;<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SF_season.shtml Single Season Records], baseball-reference.com.</ref> [[Eddie Murray]] holds the record for most sacrifice flies in a career with 128.<ref name=bbrefcareer>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SF_career.shtml Career Records], baseball-reference.com.</ref>
Since the rule was reinstated in its present form in MLB in 1954, [[Gil Hodges]] of the [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Dodgers]] holds the record for most sacrifice flies in one season with 19, in 1954;<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SF_season.shtml Single Season Records], baseball-reference.com.</ref> [[Eddie Murray]] holds the MLB record for most sacrifice flies in a career with 128.<ref name=bbrefcareer>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SF_career.shtml|title=Career Leaders & Records for Sacrifice Flies|work=Baseball Reference|access-date=June 22, 2018}}</ref>


As of the end of the [[2008 in baseball|2008 season]], players who have hit 115 or more career sacrifice flies:
As of the end of the [[2021 Major League Baseball season]], the ten players who had hit the most sacrifice flies were as follows:


1. [[Eddie Murray]] (128)<BR>
# [[Eddie Murray]] (128)
2. [[Cal Ripken, Jr.]] (127)<BR>
# [[Cal Ripken Jr.]] (127)
3. [[Robin Yount]] (123)<BR>
# [[Robin Yount]] (123)
4. [[Hank Aaron]] (121)<BR>
# [[Hank Aaron]] (121)
4. [[Frank Thomas (AL baseball player)|Frank Thomas]] (121)<BR>
# [[Frank Thomas (designated hitter)|Frank Thomas]] (121)
6. [[George Brett (baseball)|George Brett]] (120)<BR>
# [[George Brett (baseball)|George Brett]] (120)
6. [[Rubén Sierra]] (120)<BR>
# [[Rubén Sierra]] (120)
8. [[Rafael Palmeiro]] (119)<BR>
# [[Rafael Palmeiro]] (119)
8. [[Rusty Staub|Daniel "Rusty" Staub]] (119)<BR>
# [[Rusty Staub]] (119)
10. [[Andre Dawson]] (118)<BR>
# [[Andre Dawson]] (118)
11. [[Don Baylor]] (115)


Only once has the [[World Series]] been won on a sac fly. In [[1912 World Series|1912]], [[Larry Gardner]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] hit a fly ball off a pitch from the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]]' [[Christy Mathewson]]. [[Steve Yerkes]] tagged up and scored from third base to win game 8 in the tenth inning and take the series for the Red Sox.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/world_series_final_outs.shtml|title=World Series Final Outs|publisher=Baseball Almanac|accessdate=13 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1912ws.shtml|title=1912 World Series|publisher=Baseball Almanac|accessdate=13 June 2017}}</ref>
Only once has the [[World Series]] been won on a sac fly. In [[1912 World Series|1912]], [[Larry Gardner]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] hit a fly ball off a pitch from the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]]' [[Christy Mathewson]]. [[Steve Yerkes]] tagged up and scored from third base to win game 8 in the tenth inning and take the series for the Red Sox.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/world_series_final_outs.shtml|title=World Series Final Outs|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=13 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1912ws.shtml|title=1912 World Series|publisher=Baseball Almanac|access-date=13 June 2017}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Batters have not been charged with a time at-bat for a sacrifice hit since 1893, but baseball has changed the sacrifice fly rule multiple times.<ref>
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2008}}
{{Cite book|title=The Reliable Book of Outdoor Games|first= Henry |last= Chadwick | publisher=F. M. Lupton |year=1893 |isbn=9785872410195 |pages=62}}</ref> The sacrifice fly as a statistical category was instituted in 1908, only to be discontinued in 1931. The rule was again adopted in 1939, only to be eliminated again in 1940, before being adopted for the last time in 1954.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Jerome Holtzman on Baseball - A History of Baseball Scribes |last=Holtzman |first=Jerome |publisher=Sports Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=9781582619767 |pages=198 |language=en}}</ref> For some baseball fans, it is significant that the sacrifice-fly rule was eliminated in 1940 because, in 1941, Ted Williams was hitting .39955 on the last day of the season and needed one hit in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A's to become the first hitter since Bill Terry in 1930 to hit .400. He got six hits, finishing with an official .406 average, the last player in over 80 years to bat .400 or more in the [[American League|American]] or [[National League (baseball)|National League]]. In his book ''Baseball and Other Matters in 1941'' author Robert Creamer, citing estimates, points out that if Williams' 14 at-bats on sacrifice flies that year were deducted from the 456 official at-bats he was charged with, his final average in 1941 would have been .419.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Baseball and Other Matters in 1941 |last=Creamer |first=Robert W. |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2000 |isbn=9780803264069 |pages=272 |language=en}}</ref>
Batters have not been charged with a time at-bat for a sacrifice hit since 1893, but baseball has changed the sacrifice fly rule multiple times. The sacrifice fly as a statistical category was instituted in 1908, only to be discontinued in 1931. The rule was again adopted in 1939, only to be eliminated again in 1940, before being adopted for the last time in 1954.


== References ==
== References ==
Line 52: Line 47:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/official_scorer_10.jsp ''MLB'' Official Rules: 10.00 The Official Scorer], from the [[Major League Baseball]] website
*[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/official_scorer_10.jsp MLB Official Rules] from the [[Major League Baseball]] website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060615020809/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/excerpts/rules_chronology2.stm Chronology that includes the chronology of the sacrifice fly rule], from baseballlibrary.com
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060615020809/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/excerpts/rules_chronology2.stm Baseball Rules Chronology], from [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20150903053026/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ Baseball Library]
*[http://research.sabr.org/journals/sacrifice-fly The Sacrifice Fly], from the SABR web site (Research Journals Archive)
*[http://research.sabr.org/journals/sacrifice-fly The Sacrifice Fly], from the SABR web site (Research Journals Archive)
{{Baseball}}{{Baseball statistics}}
{{Baseball}}{{Baseball statistics}}

Latest revision as of 02:22, 17 September 2024

In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d):[1] "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair or foul territory that

  1. is caught, and a run scores after the catch, or
  2. is dropped, and a runner scores, if in the scorer's judgment the runner could have scored after the catch had the fly ball been caught."

They are so named because the batter allows a teammate to score a run, while "sacrificing" his or her ability to do so. They are traditionally recorded in box scores with the designation "SF".

Rules

[edit]

As addressed within Rule 9.02(a)(1) of the Official Baseball Rules[1] a sacrifice fly is not counted as a time at bat for the batter, though the batter is credited with a run batted in. The same is true with a bases-loaded walk or hit by pitch.

The purpose of not counting a sacrifice fly as an at-bat is to avoid penalizing hitters for a successful action. The sacrifice fly is one of two instances in baseball where a batter is not charged with a time at bat after putting a ball in play; the other is the sacrifice hit (also known as a sacrifice bunt). But, while a sacrifice fly does not affect a player's batting average, it counts as a plate appearance and lowers the on-base percentage. A player on a hitting streak will have it end with no official at-bats but a sacrifice fly.

Unlike a sacrifice bunt, which may be scored if a runner advances from any base to any base, a sacrifice fly is credited only if a runner scores on the play. Therefore, when a runner on first or second base tags on a fly ball and advances no further than third base, no sacrifice is given, and the batter is charged with an at-bat. Also, if a runner tags and advances from second base (or, theoretically, from first base) all the way to home and scores (without an intervening error), the batter is credited with a sacrifice fly, as well as with a second RBI if a runner on third also scores. At the professional level this will typically occur only in unusual circumstances that prevent the defense from making an immediate throw back to the infield, such as an outfielder colliding with the wall while making a catch on the warning track.

The sacrifice fly is credited even if another runner is put out, so long as the run scores. The sacrifice fly is credited on a dropped ball even if another runner is forced out by reason of the batter becoming a runner.

Records

[edit]

The most sacrifice flies by a team in one game in Major League Baseball (MLB) is five; the record was established by the Seattle Mariners in 1988, tied by the Colorado Rockies in 2006,[2] and tied again by the Mariners in 2008.[3]

Five MLB teams have collected three sacrifice flies in an inning: the Chicago White Sox (fifth inning, July 1, 1962, against the Cleveland Indians); the New York Yankees twice (fourth inning, June 29, 2000, against the Detroit Tigers and third inning, August 19, 2000, against the Anaheim Angels); the New York Mets (second inning, June 24, 2005, against the Yankees); and the Houston Astros (seventh inning, June 26, 2005, against the Texas Rangers).[4] In these cases one or more of the flies did not result in a putout due to an error.

Since the rule was reinstated in its present form in MLB in 1954, Gil Hodges of the Dodgers holds the record for most sacrifice flies in one season with 19, in 1954;[5] Eddie Murray holds the MLB record for most sacrifice flies in a career with 128.[6]

As of the end of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, the ten players who had hit the most sacrifice flies were as follows:

  1. Eddie Murray (128)
  2. Cal Ripken Jr. (127)
  3. Robin Yount (123)
  4. Hank Aaron (121)
  5. Frank Thomas (121)
  6. George Brett (120)
  7. Rubén Sierra (120)
  8. Rafael Palmeiro (119)
  9. Rusty Staub (119)
  10. Andre Dawson (118)

Only once has the World Series been won on a sac fly. In 1912, Larry Gardner of the Boston Red Sox hit a fly ball off a pitch from the New York Giants' Christy Mathewson. Steve Yerkes tagged up and scored from third base to win game 8 in the tenth inning and take the series for the Red Sox.[7][8]

History

[edit]

Batters have not been charged with a time at-bat for a sacrifice hit since 1893, but baseball has changed the sacrifice fly rule multiple times.[9] The sacrifice fly as a statistical category was instituted in 1908, only to be discontinued in 1931. The rule was again adopted in 1939, only to be eliminated again in 1940, before being adopted for the last time in 1954.[10] For some baseball fans, it is significant that the sacrifice-fly rule was eliminated in 1940 because, in 1941, Ted Williams was hitting .39955 on the last day of the season and needed one hit in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A's to become the first hitter since Bill Terry in 1930 to hit .400. He got six hits, finishing with an official .406 average, the last player in over 80 years to bat .400 or more in the American or National League. In his book Baseball and Other Matters in 1941 author Robert Creamer, citing estimates, points out that if Williams' 14 at-bats on sacrifice flies that year were deducted from the 456 official at-bats he was charged with, his final average in 1941 would have been .419.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Official Rules | MLB.com
  2. ^ "Torrealba's slam, five sac flies power Rockies past Bucs". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 7, 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006.
  3. ^ Stone, Larry (April 16, 2008). "Seattle Mariners ride flurry of sacrifice flies to 11-6 victory over Kansas City Royals". Seattle Times..
  4. ^ Sacrifice Flies Records
  5. ^ Single Season Records, baseball-reference.com.
  6. ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Sacrifice Flies". Baseball Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  7. ^ "World Series Final Outs". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  8. ^ "1912 World Series". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. ^ Chadwick, Henry (1893). The Reliable Book of Outdoor Games. F. M. Lupton. p. 62. ISBN 9785872410195.
  10. ^ Holtzman, Jerome (2005). Jerome Holtzman on Baseball - A History of Baseball Scribes. Sports Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 9781582619767.
  11. ^ Creamer, Robert W. (2000). Baseball and Other Matters in 1941. University of Nebraska Press. p. 272. ISBN 9780803264069.
[edit]
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