Base on balls facts for kids
In baseball, a base on balls (often called a walk) happens when a batter gets to go to first base without hitting the ball. This happens when the pitcher throws four pitches that the umpire calls "balls."
A "ball" is a pitch that doesn't go through the strike zone and the batter doesn't swing at it. If a pitcher throws four of these "balls" before throwing three "strikes" (pitches in the strike zone or swung at and missed), the batter automatically gets to walk to first base. This is a common play in baseball statistics.
What is an Intentional Walk?
An intentional base on balls (or intentional walk) is a special type of walk. This is when the pitcher purposely throws the ball far away from the batter. The goal is to give the batter a walk on purpose.
Teams use intentional walks as a strategy. They might do this to avoid letting a very good hitter get a base hit or a home run. Sometimes, they do it to set up a double play for the next batter. This means they want to get two outs with one play.
Even though it's a strategy, giving an intentional walk has a risk. It puts another player on base for the other team. This player could then score a run later in the game.
Images for kids
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A picture of the strike zone. A base on balls happens when four pitches are thrown outside this area.
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Mark Hendrickson intentionally walking Yunel Escobar in 2008. The catcher, Mike Rabelo, is standing to the side. This way of doing an intentional walk is no longer used in Major League Baseball.
See also
In Spanish: Base por bolas para niños
