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At bat
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<h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <p>An at bat is counted when: </p> <ul><li>The batter reaches first base on a <a href="/facts/Hit_(baseball_statistics)/STnUHCvq">hit</a></li> <li>The batter reaches first base on an <a href="/facts/Error_(baseball_statistics)/YGrIxenw">error</a></li> <li>The batter <a href="/facts/Strikeout/LVyhvjnh">strikes out</a> or is called <a href="/facts/Out_(baseball)/D4qqoCI8">out</a> for any reason other than a sacrifice</li> <li>There is a <a href="/facts/Fielder%27s_choice/xzmzRHKd">fielder's choice</a></li></ul> <h2 id="records">Records</h2> <p class="note">See also: <a href="/facts/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_career_at_bat_leaders/Q4EHo3RT">List of Major League Baseball career at bat leaders</a></p> <p><a href="/facts/Pete_Rose/TWI0po7k">Pete Rose</a> had 14,053 career at bats, the all-time major league and National League record.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The American League record is held by <a href="/facts/Carl_Yastrzemski/kW7ReP0h">Carl Yastrzemski</a>, whose 11,988 career at bats were all in the AL.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>The single season record is held by <a href="/facts/Jimmy_Rollins/1Ek4lbwz">Jimmy Rollins</a>, who had 716 at bats in 2007. <a href="/facts/Willie_Wilson_(baseball)/1UedKRcH">Willie Wilson</a>, <a href="/facts/Ichiro_Suzuki/0vr9Xjgg">Ichiro Suzuki</a> and <a href="/facts/Juan_Samuel/XWU0mrAT">Juan Samuel</a> also had more than 700 at bats in a season.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> 14 players share the single game record of 11 at bats in a single game, all of which were <a href="/facts/Extra_inning/XkTzL7Vr">extra inning</a> games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> In games of 9 innings or fewer, the record is 7 at bats and has occurred more than 200 times.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>The team record for most at bats in a single season is 5,781 by the <a href="/facts/1997_Boston_Red_Sox/JXRvkSvB">1997 Boston Red Sox</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="at-bat-as-a-phrase">At bat as a phrase</h2> <p>"At bat", "up", "up at bat", and "at the plate" are all phrases describing a batter who is facing the pitcher. Just because a player is described as being "at bat" in this sense, he will not necessarily be given an at bat in his statistics; the phrase actually signifies a <a href="/facts/Plate_appearance/JELIPqxj">plate appearance</a> (assuming it is eventually completed). This ambiguous terminology is usually clarified by context. To refer explicitly to a statistical "at bat", the term "official at bat" is sometimes used. </p> <h3>"Time at bat" in the rulebook</h3> <p>Official Baseball Rule 5.06(c) provides that "[a] batter has legally completed his <i>time at bat</i> when he is put out or becomes a runner" (emphasis added). The "time at bat" defined in this rule is more commonly referred to as a <a href="/facts/Plate_appearance/JELIPqxj">plate appearance</a>, and the playing rules (Rules 1 through 8) uses the phrase "time at bat" in this sense.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> In contrast, the scoring rules use the phrase "time at bat" to refer to the statistic at bat, defined in Rule 9.02(a)(1), but sometimes uses the phrase "official time at bat" or refers back to Rule 9.02(a)(1) when mentioning the statistic. The phrase "plate appearance" is used in Rules 9.22 and 9.23 dealing with batting titles and hitting streaks, and in Rule 5.10(g) comment regarding the Three-Batter Minimum: "[t]o qualify as one of three consecutive batters, the batter must complete his plate appearance, which ends only when the batter is put out or becomes a runner." The term is not elsewhere defined in the rulebook.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Batting_order_(baseball)/nkcHlpoc">Batting order</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/At_bats_with_runners_in_scoring_position/jze8kFK0">At bats with runners in scoring position</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>In 1887, Major League Baseball counted bases on balls as hits (and thus as at-bats). The result was high batting averages, including some near .500, and the experiment was abandoned the following season. <a href="/wiki/1887_in_baseball" target="_blank">/wiki/1887_in_baseball</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Official Baseball Rules" (PDF). Major League Baseball (2018 ed.). Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2018-07-07. <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf" target="_blank">http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Player Batting Season Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/SHgxc" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/SHgxc</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Player Batting Season Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/LYrJQ" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/LYrJQ</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Player Batting Season Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/Odm6c" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/Odm6c</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Player Batting Season Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/KeGi5" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/KeGi5</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Player Batting Game Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/6y18n" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/6y18n</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Player Batting Game Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/55Bvb" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/55Bvb</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Team Batting Season Finder". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 6, 2021. <a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/0T3c9" target="_blank">https://stathead.com/tiny/0T3c9</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>See, e.g., Rule 5.04(a)(3), which states that "[t]he first batter in each inning after the first inning shall be the player whose name follows that of the last player who legally completed his time at bat in the preceding inning" (emphasis added). <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Official Baseball Rules" (PDF). Major League Baseball (2018 ed.). Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2018-07-07. <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf" target="_blank">http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>