At Bat, or commonly called "Time at Bat" is a term used in Baseball to describe a batter's turn against the opposing pitcher. This happens when the batter merited an at-bat turn if their plate appearances aren't affected by certain statistics, such as batting average and slugging percentage. On the other hand, the batter won't receive an at-bat if their plate appearances weren't hit by the pitch or awarded first base because of an obstruction caused by the team's catcher. Additionally, the at-bat will proceed if the inning ends caused by the third out.
At Bat as a Baseball Expression
At Bat also has some similar meanings with "Up", "Up at Bat," "Time at Bat," and "At the Plate." All of these expressions mean only the same thing how the batter is facing the pitcher and may signify a plate appearance. This terminology is also used as "Official at Bat" many times. According to the Official Baseball Rule, At Bat is more subjective as a plate appearance while in contrast with the scoring rules, which usually points out to the team's statistics at-bat. When someone says "Official Time at Bat", it means dealing with titles and hitting streaks.
When Can At Bats be Counted?
Regardless of its result, the batter has to reach out to the base while turning against the pitcher. It would be considered as a sacrificial technique to the players, especially when it is interfered with by the opposing catcher. At bats is generally used to determine the batting average and the slugging percentage. Unfortunately, players who walk during the game will not be counted as an at-bat, and most players who are doing this have high records already.
At Bat Leaders
Many exceptional baseball players become at-bat leaders because of their skills to accurately turn against the opposing team's pitcher. One of the greatest leaders of all time is Pete Rose who holds 14,053 at-bats in his entire baseball career. The next holder is Car Yastrzemski who had 11,988 at-bats in the all-time major leagues. Boston Red Sox is the record-holder for the team who had the most at-bats in just a single season.
