Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out (also informally "away" or "down" when mentioning the number of batters currently out) occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired. When three outs are recorded in an inning during a team's turn at offense, that team's half of the inning finishes, and it is said that "the side is retired."
To signal an out, an umpire generally makes a fist with one hand, and then flexes that arm either upward (particularly on pop flies) or forward (particularly on routine plays at first base). Home plate umpires often use a "punch-out" motion to signal a called third strike.
The most common ways batters or runners are put out are by strikeouts, fly outs, tag outs, and force outs; however, there are many somewhat rarer ways an out can occur.
The batter is out when:
- with two strikes, he swings at a pitched ball and misses;
- with two strikes, he does not swing at a pitch that the umpire judges to be in the strike zone;
- with two strikes, he foul tips a pitch directly back into the catcher's mitt, and the catcher holds the ball and does not drop it;
- with two strikes, he bunts a pitch into foul territory;
- the third strike is pitched and caught in flight;
- on any third strike, if a baserunner is on first and there are fewer than two outs;
- he is hit by his own fair ball, outside of the batter's box, before the ball is played by a fielder;
- he commits interference;
- he fails to bat in his proper turn and is discovered in an appeal;
- he hits a pitch while one foot is entirely outside of the batter's box;
- he steps from one batter's box to the other when the pitcher is ready to pitch; or
- he is found to have used an altered bat.