Well, let me tell you, this here baseball game, it ain’t as simple as it looks. Got all these fancy rules and whatchamacallits. One of ’em they call a “fielder’s choice”. Now, what in tarnation is that, you ask? I heard some folks talkin’ ’bout it down at the diner the other day, and I think I got it figured out.
See, in this here game of baseball, you got fellas hittin’ the ball and runnin’ around them bases. Now, a fielder’s choice, that’s when one of them fielder fellas, the ones out in the field catchin’ the ball, well, he’s got a choice to make. It’s like pickin’ between two kinds of pie, I reckon. He catches the ball, a grounder, they call it, one that bounces on the ground. He could throw it to first base, get that batter out who just hit the ball. That’s what they usually do, you know, try to get that fella out at first.
But sometimes, there’s another fella, a runner, already on one of them bases. Maybe he’s on first, or second, or even third, near to home. And this fielder, he thinks, “Hmm, maybe I can get that runner out instead of the batter.” So he throws the ball to a different base, not first base, tryin’ to get that other runner out. That’s the fielder’s choice, see? He’s choosin’ to try and get the runner out instead of the batter who hit the ball just now.
Now, if he does that, if he throws to another base to get a runner, and that batter gets to first base safe, well, that batter don’t get credit for a hit. Nope. They call it a fielder’s choice on the scorecard. It’s like he got on base ’cause the fielder was busy with someone else, not ’cause he hit the ball so good, you understand? It happens all the time when there is a runner on base.
- Runner on first, batter hits the ball.
- Fielder could throw to first, get the batter out.
- But he throws to second, trying to get the runner there out.
- Batter makes it to first safe.
- No hit for the batter, it’s a fielder’s choice!
It is still count as an “at bat” though. So even though he reach the first base, his batting average will go down. Poor fella.
It’s like if you’re makin’ a cake, and you could put chocolate frosting on it, or vanilla. You choose the vanilla, ’cause you think your neighbor likes vanilla better. Well, the cake’s still a cake, but you made a choice about the frosting. The fielder’s choice is kind of like that, a choice about who to try and get out.
Now, why would he do that, you might be wonderin’. Why not just get the batter out at first? Well, sometimes gettin’ that runner out is more important. Maybe that runner is closer to scorin’ a run. Maybe the fielder thinks he’s got a better chance of gettin’ the runner out than the batter. Lots of reasons, I reckon. It’s all part of the strategy of the game, like knowin’ when to plant your corn and when to wait for rain. It is a big part of baseball rules.
This fielder’s choice thing, it can be a bit confusin’, even for folks who watch baseball all the time. But basically, it’s just a choice a fielder makes, and it affects how they keep score of the game. It’s one of them little details that makes baseball more complicated than it looks, like knowin’ all the different kinds of beans you can grow in your garden. It is a big part of what is fielder’s choice in baseball.
They got all these rules in the rule book, all written down fancy-like. They call it “Rule 2” somethin’ or other. I don’t rightly remember all the details, but the gist of it is, a fielder’s choice is when the fielder tries to get a runner out instead of the batter, and it changes how they count things in the game. I believe it is section 14. But you don’t need to worry your head about all them rules. Just remember the choice part, and you’ll be alright.
So next time you’re watchin’ a baseball game, and you hear them talk about a fielder’s choice, you’ll know what’s goin’ on. You can explain it to all your friends. It ain’t that hard, once you get the hang of it. Just remember, it’s all about the choice that fielder makes, and sometimes, that choice can change the whole game. Like choosin’ the right seeds for your garden, it can make all the difference in the end. This is all about fielder’s choice definition.
Anyway, that’s all I got to say about that fielder’s choice business. It’s one of them things you learn by watchin’ and listenin’. Just like life, I reckon. You learn as you go. Hope you can understand it now. And next time when you hear about it, you will know what is fielder’s choice in baseball.
