Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!noc.near.net!bigboote.WPI.EDU!rajeesh.WPI.EDU!chomanFrom: choman@rajeesh.WPI.EDU (Charles Stanley Homan)Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseballSubject: RBI QuestionDate: 21 Apr 1993 05:25:38 GMTOrganization: Worcester Polytechnic InstituteLines: 27Message-ID: <1r2lsi$m4h@bigboote.WPI.EDU>NNTP-Posting-Host: rajeesh.wpi.eduIs there any judgement call on the part of the scorer for sac fly RBI's?This is the situation that brought the question up:The Red Sox were up in the bottom of the 9th by a score of 5-1.  The Marinershad the bases loaded with 1 out.  The batter hits a fly to center, which thefielder catches.  The runner at third tags and scores without a throw.  Now, without a judgement call (and I don't think there is one), this is an RBIfor the batter.  It seems to me that a better name for this would be "defensiveindifference", since it doesn't really matter whether the guy at third scoresat that point.  (I know, I can think of several "If the Mariners stole thirdand second, which opening the base would allow, and then the batter hit agrounder which the third baseman gets deep in the hole between himself andthird, he wouldn't have a play at home, third, or second for the out, andmaybe he therefore can't make the throw to first to get the last out, etc...scenarios, too.  But does it _really_ matter if this guy scores this way whenyou're down by 4?  If the tying run is going to score, so is the guy on third.)The point is that the batter (IMO) shouldn't get "credit" (an RBI) for utterlyfailing to do his job - which at this point is to get a hit or a walk, nottrade an out for one run.  What do you guys think?				Regards,				Burke (Charles S. Homan)				choman@wpi.wpi.edu				Go Red Sox!!!  (11-3)				Go Rocket! (3-0)