Fielder's choice or reach on error

Situation

A fair ball is played by the defense and the batter reaches first. Either a runner is retired on the play, or a fielder misplays a ball that should have been an out.

What happens on the field

• Fielder's choice: the defense played on a runner instead of taking the out at first, and the batter is safe because of that choice.
• Reach on error: the batter is safe because a fielder muffed the ball or made a bad throw. Nobody is crediting a hit.
• If the ball was a clean hit and nobody erred, it is a hit. Standing on first does not decide which one it was.

How the book should look

• Fielder's choice: the batter reaches, the at-bat counts, and there is no hit. The retired runner is an out with a fielding sequence, such as 6-4.
• Reach on error: the at-bat counts, there is no hit, and an error is charged, such as E6.

A common miss is tapping Single because the batter reached. That adds a hit and hides the out or the error.

In DugoutDesk

1. On the pitch pad, tap In play. Fielder's choice is on the contact result chips after Ground ball, Hard ground ball, or Bunt. The error button is Reach on error.
2. If you record an out while the batter still reaches and a runner is retired, the play is stored as a fielder's choice.
3. For an error, pick the error fielder before you save.

Pitch-by-pitch scoring is free. Hit spray is coach premium and only marks where the ball was hit. It does not turn a fielder's choice or an error into a hit. You can finish the play without it.

Ruleset notes

Error versus hit is the scorer's judgment under the book you are using. Confirm a close one with the umpire or your league's scoring guidance. The app does not certify that call.