Baseball fans - Is it possible to get EIGHT "theoretical" outs in one half inning of baseball?

[battleknight24]

There are lots of baseball rules I don't know, so this might not make any sense... but:

(For the following sequence, suspend a lot of your disbelief).

1. The half inning begins. Catcher drops the third strike and batter reaches first safely.
2. Runner at first steals 2nd.
3. Catcher drops the third strike again. Batter reaches first safely.
4. Runners at 1st and 2nd steal 2nd and 3rd.
5. Catcher drops the third strike again. Batter reaches first safely. Bases are loaded.
6. Next batter strikes out. One real out so far.

7. The next batter hits a line drive to right field and makes a diving catch. 2nd real out. All the base runners run at full speed, not realizing the ball was actually caught. The runner at third runs for home and scores WITHOUT TAGGING UP. Immediately after that, the right fielder throws to first base because the runner from first did not tag up. The third real out of the inning occurs...

BUT...

8. The first baseman forgets how many outs there were and throws to second for a meaningless fourth out.
9. The second basemen realizes that the run counts even though the runner from third did not tag up. He throws to third for the fifth out of the inning (the third real out).

Is the above half inning possible?

[JVS]

1. The answer to the first question is yes.

The bases can be loaded up as you described. Then they can be discharged via a hit or for simplicity's sake let's just say batter number 4 and 8 hit home runs and clear the bases so the pattern can repeat itself. Batters who become runners due to dropped balls still count as a strikeout for the pitcher's stats although they are not out in a meaningful sense, so that would work.

Now, looking at your detailed scenario.
Step 6 1 real out- 3 theoretical.
Step 7 3 real outs- 3 theoretical

Here is where I have trouble crediting additional outs. The rules define an inning as "An INNING is that portion of a game within which the teams alternate on offense and defense and in which there are three putouts for each team. Each team’s time at bat is
a half-inning" This implies that once the third real out is made the half-inning is over and nothing can happen. For example if you look at 4.09 of the rules, there is a snippet that follows such logic

APPROVED RULING: Following runners are not affected by an act of a preceding runner
unless two are out.
Example: One out, Jones on second, Smith on first, and batter, Brown, hits home run inside
the park. Jones fails to touch third on his way to the plate. Smith and Brown score. The defense holds
the ball on third, appeals to umpire, and Jones is out. Smith’s and Brown’s runs count.
APPROVED RULING: Two out, Jones on second, Smith on first and batter, Brown, hits
home run inside the park. All three runs cross the plate. But Jones missed third base, and on appeal is
declared out. Three outs. Smith’s and Brown’s runs are voided. No score on the play

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2014/official_baseball_rules.pdf

[battleknight24]

2. I see what you mean... but...

I see what you mean about the pattern repeating itself... in theory there can be an infinite number of strikeouts in one inning.

But isn't the scenario in the last few steps possible (though extremely improbable) due to the fourth out rule?

" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_out "

Forgetting the meaningless out at second base in the above scenario, since failure to tag out is not a force out, and the runner scored before the right fielder threw the ball to first for the "first" third out, the fielders would need to throw the ball to third to cancel the run. They throw the ball to third, which cancels the run, and the previous third out is nullified.

For a question that might have a definite numerical answer:

Is it possible for an inning to have seven or eight theoretical outs in one inning with no runs scored?

Summarized from the above scenario: 3 dropped third strike strikeouts, strikeout (4), fly ball caught (5), throw to 1st for runner that failed to tag up (6), throw to 2nd for runner that failed to tag up (7), throw to third for runner that failed to tag up, which also cancels the run that scored (8th theoretical out, 3rd real out, which canceled the previous two "third outs&quot .

[battleknight24]

3. I just thought of an even more complex scenario...

... but I'm not sure it makes sense.

[malthaussen]

4. That catcher needs to get off the bottle...

I'm not paying him two mil a year to keep dropping third strikes.

-- Mal

[Yavin4]

5. Why is Edward Scissorhands playing catcher? n/t

[KamaAina]

6. Maybe. Wait 'til next year!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. Catcher needs to be pulled after the first dropped third strike

catcher .... hit the showers.

[HERVEPA]

8. What in the world is a theoretical out.

You can get six hits in an inning without scoring a run though.