July 27, 2004

Baseball Been Berry Berry Good To Me!

A question for all you baseball fans...

How many hits can you get in a half-inning without scoring a run?

Posted by Madfish Willie at July 27, 2004 01:20 AM
Comments
#1

I'm gonna say 6.

The bases are loaded by 3 consecutive shallow line-drive hits. The runner on first gets picked off for the 1st out, then the batter gets an infield hit. That runner then gets picked off at 1st for the 2nd out. The next batter gets an infield hit - the 5th hit of the inning - and loads the bases with 2 outs. The next batter hits a line-drive base hit to left and reaches 1st easily, but the runner on second is gunned down at 3rd before the runner from third can cross home plate. 6 hits, no runs.

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 27, 2004 01:58 AM
#2

Or we can just say that the runner on 3rd was Sid Fernandez and was gunned down at home!

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 27, 2004 02:00 AM
#3

You answer is correct, however, I find your analysis flawed...

After your bases are loaded... runner is picked off first... then batter gets an infield hit... certainly that would score a runner from third more times than not...

That was way too fast... here's how I read it on ESPN earlier today:

1. Single - thrown out trying to steal second base. One away.

2. Single - thrown out trying to steal second base. Two away.

3. Single - man on first.

4. Infield Single - hold runner at second base - men on first and second.

5. Infield Single - hold lead runner at third base - men on first, second, and third.

6. Single - ball hits runner, runner is out and batter is credited with a single. Three away!

Six hits and no runs!!!


Posted by Madfish Willie at July 27, 2004 02:10 AM
#4

Well, that's a different way of getting there, but I don't see that my scenario is flawed.

An infield hit would likely be a hard ball to play and the runner on third would be careful about getting too far from base before committing to home -- likewise for the runner on second -- and they'd likely both hold their base on that hit just so's they don't make an easier target.

It's not really how it's done so much as that it's just mathematically impossible to add up 3 bases and 3 outs and get more than 6 hits. There are gonna be several of ways of getting there.

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 27, 2004 04:13 AM
#5

P.S.: Who the hell is Mudfish Billie? Sounds kinda feminine, but I'm not quite sure...

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 27, 2004 04:55 AM
#6

Ooops. That sounded like a slight. I didn't mean it to be -- I was honestly asking.
I now realize that it was you and not Pam. Sowwy,...
:)

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 27, 2004 07:57 AM
#7

Actually the answer is 12. Say the first team does the above in the final 5 minutes of the first 15 minutes of an inning. The second team does the same thing in 5 minutes. All the action has occured within the last half (10 minutes) of the 20 minute inning.

Boo ya!

Posted by Jim at July 27, 2004 06:49 PM
#8

Sorry, Jim, that's wrong. You forgot about the three minutes of commercials during the change of sides!! :P

Posted by Tuning Spork at July 28, 2004 02:37 AM
#9

Damned commercials!

Posted by Jim at July 30, 2004 06:16 PM
#10

And the original question specified half-inning. Jim, you blew the reading comprehension portion of the quiz.

Posted by Victor at August 3, 2004 06:14 PM
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