Sacrifice Fly in Baseball: When It Counts and How It Affects Stats

A sacrifice fly in baseball is a batted fly ball that enables a runner to score a run, typically by tagging up from third base after an outfielder catches the ball. The batter is ordinarily credited with a run batted in (RBI), but the plate appearance is not charged as an official at-bat. That scoring distinction is why a sacrifice fly can help a team without lowering the batter’s batting average.

How a sacrifice fly works, step by step

Consider a one-out situation with a runner on third. The batter lifts a fly ball deep enough into the outfield for the runner to try to score. The outfielder catches it for the second out. The runner waits until the ball is first touched, leaves third and reaches home safely ahead of the throw. The scorer credits a sacrifice fly and, in the usual situation, an RBI to the batter.

The decisive action is the runner scoring because of the fly ball, not merely the batter putting a ball in the air. An ordinary flyout with a runner remaining on third is not a sacrifice fly.

Does a sacrifice fly count as an at-bat?

No. It is a plate appearance, but not an official at-bat for batting-average purposes. Major League Baseball’s official sacrifice-fly glossary explicitly distinguishes these categories.

OBP is generally calculated as (H + BB + HBP) ÷ (AB + BB + HBP + SF). The SF term is why a sac fly can leave batting average unchanged while still lowering on-base percentage.

Can a sacrifice fly happen with two outs?

Normally, no. If a fielder catches the fly ball for the third out, the inning ends immediately and a runner cannot legally complete a tag-up scoring play after the catch. A sacrifice-fly situation therefore generally requires fewer than two outs before the catch.

For context on how an inning ends, see AVARIXO’s guide to nine innings, extra innings and walk-offs. For a separate pitching statistic, our ERA explainer covers earned-run calculations.

Must the ball land in fair territory?

No. A fly ball caught in foul territory can sometimes allow the runner to tag and score. MLB’s definition specifically includes a caught fly ball in the outfield or foul territory when it produces the scoring play. The usual picture of a deep ball to center field is a common scenario, not the only eligible one.

What if the fielder drops the ball?

A sacrifice fly may still be scored after an error. According to MLB’s official statistical definition, if the official scorer determines the runner would have scored even had the ball been caught, the batter may be credited with a sacrifice fly. A dropped ball is not automatically a sacrifice fly: the scorer must judge the likely result of a successful catch.

Sacrifice fly vs. sacrifice bunt

Both plays can deliberately exchange a batter’s out for a better chance to score, and both are excluded from official at-bats when properly scored. But they happen differently. A sacrifice bunt typically advances a runner by intentionally deadening a pitch on the ground; a sacrifice fly scores a runner from a caught or credibly catchable fly ball. An RBI is not automatically attached to a typical sacrifice bunt just because it moves a runner to a new base.

Three scorekeeping scenarios

Scenario 1: runner tags and scores

Runner on third, one out. Batter flies out to right; runner tags and scores. Score the catch as an out, credit a sacrifice fly and an RBI to the batter, and do not increase the batter’s at-bat total.

Scenario 2: runner remains at third

Runner on third, one out. Batter flies out to shallow left; runner stays. No sacrifice fly is earned because no run scores. The batter receives a regular flyout and an official at-bat.

Scenario 3: fielder drops a deep fly

Runner on third with one out. A catchable deep fly is dropped, and the runner scores. The official scorer evaluates whether the runner would have scored after an ordinary catch; only that judgment can support crediting a sacrifice fly despite the error.

When is a sac fly a smart baseball play?

With fewer than two outs and a runner on third, simply making hard contact in the air can be valuable even if it does not produce a hit. But the batter cannot guarantee the ball will be deep enough or the defense will make a catch. A shallow popup, strong outfield arm, or poor read by the runner can prevent a score. Understanding the specific situation is more useful than treating every fly ball as productive.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sacrifice fly an RBI?

It commonly earns an RBI because the batted fly ball directly allows a runner to score. The official scorer records the final ruling.

Does a sacrifice fly hurt batting average?

No. It does not add an official at-bat, so the batting-average denominator does not rise.

Does it hurt OBP?

It can. Sacrifice flies are included in the denominator of on-base percentage, unlike their treatment in batting average.

Image credit: D. Benjamin Miller, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Photograph shows a batter at the plate; it does not claim to capture a sacrifice-fly play. Resized by WordPress.