Fielder’s choice
Sport: Baseball
A fielder’s choice, commonly referred to as FC, is the term given to a play in which an infielder makes the decision to attempt to put out an advancing runner rather than targeting the hitter. This allows the hitter to advance to first base – if this is done so as a result of a fielder’s choice, the hitter is charged with an at bat rather than credited with a hit.
How Is a Fielder’s Choice Scored?
Plays are scored as a fielder’s choice regardless of whether they successfully put out a player of the offensive team or not, therefore not all fielder’s choices will result in an out. If the play is unsuccessful at putting out a member of the offensive team, this will only be scored as a fielder’s choice under the condition that the official scorer judges that the fielder had a fair opportunity to put the player out. If the official scorer determines that the fielder targeted a preceding runner as they were unable to put out the hitter, the play is instead scored with a hit.
