A fourth out is a lawful out achieved by the defense after three outs have already been recorded in a half-inning. This occurs when a defensive player commits a fault while covering first base, for example, or when a coach signals that a player is available at first base. A fourth out cannot legally be recorded in any other situation; if it were, the game would not be able to end until it was verified that all of the players had been dismissed from the field.
In 1858, the first year that baseball's official rules were published, they stated that "if a ball be kicked before it has reached the ground, and no fielder is near enough to catch it, the umpire is authorized to call time." In 1859, this rule was changed to state that "if a ball be kicked before it has reached the ground and is not caught, the umpire shall call time." It can be inferred from this change that before then, a fourth out could have been recorded if the umpire believed it necessary.
Today, a fourth out is recorded by the umpire when he calls time due to some type of disturbance on the field.
In baseball, Rule 7.10 (a) [since renumbered to Rule 5.09 (c)] is known as the "Fourth Out Rule." It is used when the defensive team "appeals" to the head umpire or crew chief that a fourth out is required to "nullify" its opponent's one run for the half inning that is "considered to be" completed, in the books, and free of ambiguity. The appeal must come from either the manager or coach of the defending team.
Examples include: A runner on first base is hit by a pitch. The batter is awarded first base but does not advance until another ball is put into play. The defense claims that since the ball was still in motion when it reached first base, there should be a new half-inning started when the appeal is made. This would require the hitter to start over at first base while the defensive team goes back to the dugout.
The umpires review the situation together before making their decision. If the defensive team appeals successfully, the batter is allowed to remain at first base until the next player is due to bat. If he then hits a home run, this would result in a multiple-home run inning, which would be illegal today but was once common before the designated hitter role was introduced in 1969.
During World War II, when manpower shortages prevented some teams from having a full staff of umpires, they sometimes used military police officers instead. These men were usually former policemen or soldiers who had been drafted into the army.
Wiki is the answer. Rule 7.10(a) [since renumbered to Rule 5.09(c)] is known as the "Fourth Out Rule" in baseball. The appeal must be made within the next half inning or the team will lose the challenge.
Here is how the rule works: When the batting team reaches first base, the game is no longer scoreless. However, if the defensive team believes there is still time left in the game (i.e., there are at least nine more outs to be recorded), it can make an appeal to the head Umpire or crew chief that a fourth out is needed.
The head Umpire or crew chief will then review video evidence from multiple cameras to determine whether there was enough time left on the clock to make a legal pitching change before the batter reached first base. If so, the appeal is successful and the game will continue with a new halfway point being calculated from the moment the appeal was made. If not, then the defensive team loses its challenge and the batting team remains at first base while the opposing coach/manager can discuss the situation with his players and decide what action to take next.
This rule is primarily used when a ball is caught by a defender but not immediately thrown to second base because he believes there is still time left in the game.
Runners can score if the defense gets the third out, but they cannot score if the out was a force or if the out is recorded on the batter/runner before he reaches first. If a manager attempts an appeal on a time play after three outs have already concluded an inning, the appeal might result in another out call for a previously called safe baserunner.
If the third out is a force-out (for example, bases loaded, batter hits to third baseman, third baseman steps on third base before the runner arrives), the run from third base will not be counted.
If a third strike is not caught with two outs already recorded in that half inning, the hitter becomes a runner, creating a force out situation at first base.
Three times out An inning is divided into two rounds in which both teams bat and field. Each half-inning will continue until three outs are recorded. If a runner reaches first base before all three outs are made, the batter with the next available number comes up to bat.
There are 12 players on a team roster, so that's how many you need to finish an inning. A team can have as few as 10 players on it at any time during play of a game or tournament, but there can't be more than 12 total participants (including the pitcher). When there are less than 12 players, any extra members of the team are replaced by teammates or by umpires. Even when the team roster says 13, 14, or 15 players, someone has to go to the plate or field when there are only twelve players present.
It's important to note that a replacement player can't come from another league or group within your organization. He or she must be selected from among your current players. A coach, parent, or supervisor cannot be used as a substitute for a regular player. They can only be used if no players are present for a particular position during a game or tournament. Umpires also count as a position since they can't be substituted for by anyone else during a contest.
Some baseball fans may argue that more than three outs can be made in a half inning, however such argument is based on a faulty semantic reasoning. Simply said, a half-inning can only have three outs. The term comes from the fact that during a baseball game, the innings are divided into halves of six balls and five strikes.
The last out of an inning is known as the "full count" or "3-2 pitch". A full count means that the batter has been given three chances to hit the ball but has failed. Thus, the player who was responsible for throwing him out (the catcher or umpire) gets credit for the out.
In addition, there is also a full count when the batter fails with four pitches to make up a run. In this case, the batter gets two more opportunities before being removed from the game.
Finally, there is also a full count when the batter fails with five pitches to make up a run. Again, the batter gets two more opportunities before being removed from the game.
So yes, more than three outs can be made in a half-inning, but only if you consider all the cases mentioned above.
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