Base On Ball

Receiving a base on balls does not count as an official At Bat for a batter but does count as a Plate Appearance .In 1887 , Major League Baseball counted bases on balls as Hits . The result was skyrocketed Batting Average s, including some near .500, and the experiment was abandoned the following season.

A pitcher can also choose to Intentionally Walk a batter. This is usually done for the purpose of facing a different batter that the team feels they have a better chance of getting out, or to allow a double play possibility if first base is open with less than two outs.

A Hit By Pitch is not considered a walk, though the consequences are often the same for both.

WALK LEADERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Bold denotes active players. Totals are through the 2005 season. On July 4 , 2004 , Barry Bonds drew his 2,191st base on balls to pass the career record of Rickey Henderson , who is no longer active in the major leagues.

Career

# Barry Bonds - 2,311
# Rickey Henderson - 2,190
# Babe Ruth - 2,062
# Ted Williams - 2,021
# Joe Morgan - 1,865

Season

# Barry Bonds ( 2004 ) - 232
# Barry Bonds ( 2002 ) - 198
# Barry Bonds ( 2001 ) - 177
# Babe Ruth ( 1923 ) - 170
# Mark McGwire ( 1998 ); Ted Williams ( 1947 and 1949 ) - 162

NOTES

SEE ALSO

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Base On Ball