Hits

What is a hit?

Hits are the cornerstone of baseball, so much that the vast majority of major league players are referred to as “hitters.” But how would you explain baseball hitting to someone who had never watched a game before?

Simply put, a hit is when a batter makes contact with the baseball, hits it into fair territory, and reaches base safely. Not due to an error or a fielder’s choice, but in a way that evaded the defense and advanced the team’s goal of scoring before it runs out of outs.

Hits can be singles, doubles, triples, or home runs. A single is where the hitter reaches first base, a double is where he reaches second base, a triple third, and a home run is a complete trip around the bases.

How is hit used in baseball?

Hit is used in scoring, both on a player and a team level. For players, a quick look at the number of hits compared to the number of plate appearances can give you an idea of how the player did in a particular game. Over the course of a season, hits are used to calculate batting average, as well as being an input for stats like On Base Percentage, OPS, and even WAR.

For teams, hits appear on the scoreboard and in box scores, after runs, as the easiest way to see at a glance how an offense performed.

Hit Examples

When modern fans think hitting, they think of Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro holds the all-time record for hits in a season with 262 in 2004. He had 4,367 hits between the NPB in Japan and MLB in America, and he was famous for his ability to hit any pitch.

Interesting Hit Stats

You can see the hit leaders on Baseball Reference

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