It is no more news that baseball is a very exciting sport and one of the most popular sports in the United States that has stood the test of time.
The sport has its share of terms and jargon that a lot of folks do not understand, and we will be looking at the concept of PO in baseball in this article. Now the question is this; What is PO in baseball? Please read on to get a good grasp of this baseball concept.
Before we proceed. it should be understood that PO stands for Put Out and this is a representation of the fielder in a game who is responsible for running out the batters in the opposition team, catching the fly ball as well as catching the third strike.
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PO also stands for Pitcher Only and in this context, it is used to refer to baseball pitchers that do not play any other positions in a game or on the pitch.
Meanwhile, it should be known that PO for Pitcher Only is mostly seen in college baseball and is not very common in Major League Baseball.
What Does PO Mean In Baseball?
Now we’ve gotten the Pitcher Only context out of the way, let’s focus on what a putout is in the game of baseball. According to MLB, a fielder is credited with a putout when he physically records the act of completing an out.
Before a putout can be credited to a fielder, some moves will have to be made. Also, note that multiple players on the field can take different approaches to get a putout. Additionally, keep in mind that a putout and an assist differ in baseball.
Some major categories of a putout in baseball for a proper understanding of the concept include:
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- Pitching the third strikeout
- Catching the flyout
- When the base has been identified for a flyout
Pitching the third strikeout
A strikeout occurs in a baseball game when the pitcher is unable to deliver the final strike to the batter. However, this is also termed the PO put out since the pitcher receives credit when they cut down the batter’s wicket.
Catching The Flyout
A flyout occurs when the opposition team catches the ball and this can happen anywhere and anytime during a baseball game, depending on the pitcher, as well as how fast he hit the ball in the air. Once this is the case, the batter hands the opposition players the chance to get create credit and create a putout.
When The Base Has Been Identified For A Flyout
This comes into play when the fielder catches the ground ball and the batter hit, thus identifying the base. This is referred to as a force out and that is another way that the fielder receives credit for a putout in the pitch.
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Other notable scenarios are:
- When the base is identified as an appealing game.
- Identify the game based on runner tag out
- Being close to a runner during the interference
What Is An Assist In Baseball?
In baseball, an assist can be used to describe the person whose action enabled another player to come into decent chances of a putout or better still a putout situation.
This could be an infielder who throws the ball to a first baseman, or it could be any player who is the last one to touch the ball before it reaches the person who registers the putout. Meanwhile, it should be known that a pitcher does not receive credit for an assist on strikeouts.
The Difference Between PO And Assist In Baseball?
An assist is awarded to the player who had the final touch on the ball before it was caught by the player who made the final out, whereas a putout is awarded to the player who made the out.
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Who is Credited With The (PO) Putout?
The players that get most of the PO credits in a baseball game include the fielder, catcher, and first baseman. You can see how this is made possible by our explanation below.
1. Fielder
In baseball, the fielders are the players on the other team who are often responsible for defending the base and preventing the batter from moving into a running position. The fielder can accomplish this task with relative ease by recording an out.
2. First baseman
The first baseman (1B) also gets the PO putout. Asides from being fielded in the first base, they can also be assigned to handling the area that is nearby. This is the case, although they are normally positioned nearest to the baserunners close to the fielder.
3. Catcher
The catcher is the third person who gets credits for the PO putout in a baseball game. He is the fielder that gets or catches the ball before it hits the ground thus making the player get the PO credit.
It should also be known that the catcher is also one that gets the putout credit for every strikeout that is thrown by the pitcher. The only exception is when there is a dropped third strike.
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Do Catchers Get (PO) Putouts In Baseball?
It appears that the answer is yes. Here are the scenarios:
- If the catcher safely catches a pop-up.
- If the catcher tags out a runner trying to score (or gets him by force-out, no tag is necessary)
- If the catcher retires an offensive player while somewhere else on the field (for example, backing up first base, and the ball gets loose),
If any of the aforementioned situations occur, each of them will be credited as a putout for the catcher. It should be known that these plays exist although they are not been readily produced in recent times.
Also, the catcher receives credit for the putout whenever he prevents a strike-three pitch from being delivered. The putout is awarded to him since he was the last defensive player to touch the ball.
One notable instance from the past occurred on April 29th, 1986. Red Sox P Roger Clemens set the record for most strikeouts in a single game, whiffing 20 Mariners.
The Boston C Rich Gedman secured all 20, and he has been given credit for 20 putouts although he didn’t make any other plays that resulted in an out).
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Why Is A Putout PO Important?
A putout is significant in baseball because it is the foundation upon which more intricate scoring maneuvers are built. It is of great use to the official scorer in determining the high points, outputs, and outcomes of the game for each of the teams participating in it.
The scorer of a baseball game can generate a comprehensive report on the batter’s activities by using the PO or putout statistics. This report will cover the batter’s progression from being left on base to being scored or put out.
When the scorer has finished putting the finishing touches on the report, he will finally be able to draw conclusions about a team’s plate appearances and demonstrate that this is equivalent to all of the moves the team earned throughout the game.
Putouts are essential to the smooth progression of a baseball game, which is another reason why it’s necessary to keep track of them.
It appears that it would be impossible for either team to win the game if there was no physical effort required to record an out.
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Which Player Has The Most Career Putouts In MLB History?
With 23,767 putouts over a career spanning 20 seasons and ending in 1907, Jake Beckley holds the record for most putouts in the history of baseball.
Meanwhile, in recent times, Eddie Murray is the modern-day player who is the closest to being near the top of the list of all-time putouts. Murray played for 21 seasons and currently ranks fourth all-time with 21,265 putouts and ins.
Has There Been a 7-3 Putout In An MLB Game?
Based on information on Quora, It happened first in 1950 when the A’s Elmer Valo accomplished the feat in a game against the White Sox.
The likes of Paul Molitor also did it for the Brewers against the Tigers in 1979, as well as Kevin Elster for the Dodgers against the Angels in 2000.
What Does 1-3 Putout Mean In Baseball?
For this question to be answered correctly, a breakdown of the defensive positions in a baseball team for scoring purposes has to be done. Find it below based on information from Quora.
- Pitcher
- Catcher
- First baseman
- Second baseman
- Third baseman
- Shortstop
- Left fielder
- Center fielder
- Right fielder
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Considering the breakdown above, A ball that is fielded by the pitcher and then thrown to the first baseman for the out is referred to as a 1–3 putout.
Meanwhile, it should be known that Scorer’s defensive position numbers never change. They have nothing to do with the players’ ID numbers on their backs.
Conclusion
The concept of PO in baseball has been extensively discussed in this article with significant light thrown on the subject.
In this article, we noted how PO for putout and PO for Pitcher Only differ in the game of baseball as well as how they can be derived in the sport. Do well to leverage this information and please share it with other baseball fans, enthusiasts, and aspiring baseball lovers.