On ball four, the pitch gets by the catcher who throws his helmet to stop the ball from rolling into a dugout. What is the correct awarding of bases?

• A. All runners and the batter-runner are awarded two bases.
• B. All runners are awarded two bases and the batter-runner is awarded first base.
• C. All runners and the batter-runner are awarded one base.
• D. All runners and the batter-runner are awarded three bases.

Answer: (A)

When a ball four pitch is handled in a way that stops it from remaining in play, the ball becomes dead and the base awards are different from the normal walk. In this scenario, the catcher throws his helmet to stop the ball from rolling into the dugout, so the ball is ruled dead immediately. Because the ball is dead on a ball four due to this defensive action, every runner is awarded two bases from its position at the time the ball becomes dead, and the batter is also awarded two bases. That means runners advance two bases from where they were, and the batter-runner ends up on second base. This is why the correct outcome is two bases for all runners and the batter-runner. The other options don’t fit because they don’t reflect the two-base award that applies when the ball becomes dead from a defensive act preventing the ball from remaining in play.