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Here in metro Detroit, the joy of our NFL team actually winning a game last week has been tempered this week by the collapse of our AL team. We offered an “at-bat” logic Brain Game puzzle several days ago, in hopes the Tigers can pull it out, here’s one about a productive half-inning. Enjoy!
Six batters came to the plate in the bottom of the fourth. In no particular order, they made one single, one triple, one walk, a called strikeout, a pop-out to first, and a ground out (but no stolen bases).When the half-inning ended, two runs had scored and a runner was left stranded on second. Based on this information and the clues that follow, determine how each batter fared. Good luck:
1. The first batter earned a base hit, unlike the fourth batter.
2. The second batter did not reach base, but the third batter did.
3. The pitcher threw only two pitches to the sixth batter.
Comments (19)
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Don’t let the collapse of the Tigers bother you. The Lions beat the Redskins! How sweet is that?! Could only have been made better if you had beaten the Ravens! Woot! Woot!
posted by Hyacinth on 10-5-2009 at 8:07 am
As a lifetime Red Sox fan… I feel your pain (Bucky F***** Dent)…
Also, the question has a deep fly to right, no ground out…
posted by Chris on 10-5-2009 at 8:12 am
If it weren’t for the Raiders, Bucs and Rams, the Redskins would be considered the worst team in the NFL right now (that’s my team). And one more thing, Sandy; I also root for the Baltimore Orioles. Enough said.
posted by Steven on 10-5-2009 at 8:12 am
The solution doesn’t match the question. The question states that 2 runs scored (only one specified in the solution) and that there was a fly out to right, but no ground out.
Given that, I still have the same order, but with the 5th batter sac flying to score one run and move the runner to second.
Author’s Note: I originally failed to mention the occurrence of the second run in the details of the answer, but yes, it happened during the fifth at-bat.
posted by Craig on 10-5-2009 at 8:33 am
Sandy your question mentions a pop up to first not a ground ball
Author’s Note: You’re right, John. I’ve corrected that; thanks!
posted by john on 10-5-2009 at 8:33 am
I had
1 Single
2 Triple-1 run scores
3 Strike out-1st out
4 Walk
5 Ground out-Runner from first goes to second and runner on third scores 2nd run
6 Pop out to first-stranding runner on second
posted by scott on 10-5-2009 at 9:12 am
To scott —
The clues say that the second batter did not reach base. Otherwise yours would be correct as well.
posted by Matt on 10-5-2009 at 9:25 am
Why couldn’t the fifth batter have popped out to the first baseman, leaving the fourth batter lingering on first? Then the sixth batter ground out, moving the fourth batter to second? Are there two solutions or do I not know much about baseball (I really don’t know much at all about baseball — we’re basketball fans in ky:)?
posted by Zac on 10-5-2009 at 9:27 am
Zac – in such a case, the sixth batter’s ground-out would not have left the person on-base “stranded at second.” For that to happen, the play would have had to begin and end with him on 2nd base.
He might have physically reached 2nd base on the pop-up but would not have been “stranded” there since he never officially took the base due to the final out. Those wacky baseball rules!
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-5-2009 at 9:53 am
With the second batter and the fifth batter, does it really matter which one popped out to first and which one struck out? Neither out would advance a runner.
posted by Wilson on 10-5-2009 at 10:02 am
I was looking for a trick. I had:
1 – Single
2 – groundout
3 – triple (scores a run)
4 – walk
5 – strikeout with a dropped third strike allowing the runner on third to score and the runner on first to advance to second (my way around the no stolen bases caveat)
6 – popout
I think it works…
posted by Toby on 10-5-2009 at 10:37 am
Wilson, the 5th batter grounded out. So I presume that you mean why did the 2nd batter strike out and the 6th batter pop out… the reason there is that the clues indicate that the pitcher only threw two pitches to the 6th batter; not enough to strike him out.
If the 5th batter had popped out, the runner who was on first from the walk couldn’t have reached second without stealing a base, and we specified that there were no SBs.
Wow, these baseball logic puzzles really get the brain warmed up on a Monday.
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-5-2009 at 10:55 am
Toby — almost, except yours would end the inning with runners stranded at 1st and 2nd instead of just second.
That’s why I had to make one of the outs a “pop-out to first” to indicate that it was an out during which no runner advanced. As tricky as this one is to solve, believe me, it was twice as tricky to come up with!
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-5-2009 at 10:58 am
This was a good puzzle. Almost as good as watching my Twins catch up to the Tigers:)
posted by Chris on 10-5-2009 at 1:00 pm
What’s wrong with this logic?
1. Single
2. Strike out
3. walk
4. pop-up to 1st
5. Triple (scoring two runs)
6. Ground-out
I’m all for run-scoring ground-outs, but don’t see one as being needed.
posted by Stephen on 10-5-2009 at 1:13 pm
Almost, Stephen, but that scenario ends the inning with the runner stranded on third, not on second.
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-5-2009 at 1:23 pm
Cancel that, forgot about the runner stranded on 2nd.
posted by Stephen on 10-5-2009 at 1:27 pm
I forgot to add that the batter with the dropped third strike gets thrown out at first, otherwise the strikeout doesn’t count as an out.
posted by Toby on 10-5-2009 at 1:31 pm
Sandy –
You’ve doen well defending your puzzle against possible “correct” solutions, but I think I got you.
1. Triple
2. Strikeout
3. Single
4. Walk
5. Groundout
6. Flyout
First batter triples, and scores on single by thrid batter. 3rd batter moves to second on walk by 4th batter. 5th batter groundsout, but on the play there is an error which allows the runner on second to score and the runner on first to move to second. The sixth batter then pops out.
Thus, there are two runs on two hits, with a runner stranded on second, and all other clues are met.
posted by JT on 10-5-2009 at 1:37 pm