GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Why can several fielders receive credit on one out?
An assist is credited to a fielder who touches the ball before another fielder records a putout. The putout goes to the fielder who completes the out. A relay can therefore give one player an assist and another the putout, while a fielder may receive a putout and later an assist on a second out in the same play.
For Baseball readers interpreting defensive box-score credits · Updated
An assist records a contribution
MLB awards an assist when a fielder touches the ball before a different fielder records a putout. A throw is common, but the credited fielder need only touch the ball in a way that precedes the out. No player can receive more than one assist for the same out.
An assist is not an additional team out. It records a fielder's role in producing an out that is counted once.
A putout records who completes the out
The putout is credited to the fielder who completes the act, such as catching a batted ball, tagging a runner, stepping on a base for a force out or catching a throw that retires the batter-runner.
In a relay, the receiver can be credited with a putout and then throw to a teammate who completes a second out. The scorekeeping credits describe the fielders' actions; the two outs still count as two.
A fictional 6-4-3 double play
Hypothetical ground ball with a runner on first: the shortstop fields the ball and throws to second. The second baseman steps on the bag for the force out, then throws to first, where the first baseman catches the ball before the batter-runner arrives. The shortstop gets an assist; the second baseman gets a putout on the runner and an assist on the batter-runner; the first baseman gets the second putout. The play records two team outs, not four.
Related questions
Can a fielder receive both an assist and a putout during one play?
Yes. In a double play, a fielder can complete the first out for a putout and then touch the ball before a teammate completes the second out, earning an assist on that separate out.
Does an assist add another out to the team total?
No. Assists are individual fielding credits. The team's out total counts each retired batter or runner once.