Most of the readers of this site knows that we have taken a pledge of educating all the new age baseball fans with different abbreviations of the game.
In fact, we have already started this series and explained terms like RISP, LOB, MVR, PO, BP etc. But do you know what does TB mean in baseball? That’s what I will explain now.
In baseball, TB stands for Total Bases earned by a batter with his hits. TB allows us to understand if the batter has hit for a single, double, triple, or home run. Let us dive in further to understand the meaning of TB in baseball.
What does TB mean in baseball?
TB means Total Bases indicates the total number of bases a batter accumulates with his hits. Whenever a batter hits a single, it is counted as one total base. Incrementally two for a double hit, three for a triple, and four total bases for a home run. A double and a home run simultaneously results in gaining 6 total bases.
Total Bases (TB) also play an important role in computing a player’s hitting percentage. To earn a high number of total bases a player needs to have a high number of hits.
Do total bases include walks?
Only the hits by a player add to the player’s total bases count. Walking on the basepath does not add to the number of total bases.
Does hit-by-pitch count as total bases?
Hit-by-pitches do not occur intentionally. The umpire may grant a bit-by-pitch to a batter, despite the ball touching the batter’s uniform, helmet, shin guard, etc., without the batter swinging at it.
In this scenario, the hit-by-pitch though not counted as a hit, the batter is awarded the first base.
Do total bases include runs?
In baseball, a homerun is four total bases, a triple is three bases, a double is two bases, and a single is first base.
A player who runs through all the bases to return to home plate earns a run. It is also known as “run scored.”
The following calculation of total bases will help you understand in detail.
Calculation of Total Bases
TB = (1 x 1) base hits + (2 x 2) base hits + (3 x 3) base hits + (4 x home runs)
Example
If a batter has 80 single base hits, 40 double base hits, 10 triple base hits, and 15 home runs, then:
TB = 80 + (40 x 2) + (10 x 3) + (15 x 4)
TB = 80 + 80 + 30 + 60
TB = 250
We can conclude the batter has earned a total of 250 TBs.
How Many Total Bases Are Present in a Baseball Field?
Bases are one of the crucial elements of any baseball ground. There is a total of 4 bases: home plate, first, second and third base.
The appearance of bases resembler to diamond or square shape beginning with home plate. The first base stands at 90 degrees to the right and a distance of 90 feet from the home plate. On the left side is the third base and the second falls in between the third and the first.
For MLB, all the bases fall at a distance of 90 feet from each other and 60 feet apart from little leagues.
Who has the most total bases in MLB history?
Herewith are the records:
The credit for achieving maximum total bases in a career goes to Hank Aaron. The total count goes to 6,856 bases, making him the record holder in MLB history. Aaron is followed by Ty Cobb having a total base of 6144 as of 22nd August 2022, MBL season.
Babe Ruth is credited for gaining the highest number of 457 TBs in the 1921 single season MLB, followed by Rogers Hornsby hitting a total of 450 bases, in the next season.
If you want to know the highest total bases recorded in a single game, then the credit goes to Shawn Green with a TB of 19, on a game played on 23rd May 2022.
The team having the highest record of TB of 2,748 is the 2001 Colorado Rockies in the National League. While the 2019 Minnesota Twins and 2003 Boston Red Sox together hold a record of 2832 TBs in the American League single season.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you count total bases?
A home run is counted as 4 TBs, a triple is counted as 3 bases, a double is counted as 2 bases and a single is counted as a single base. Walking on the basepath, sacrifices or steals, and other non-hit advancements aren’t counted into total bases.
Who leads MLB in total bases?
As an individual Hank Aaron with 6,856 total bases.
Who stole the most bases ever?
The most stolen base record is in the name of Rickey Henderson. The total count is 1,406. Henderson is that MLB player to surpass the number of 1,000 stolen bases.
He is followed by Lou Brock – 938 stolen bases. The third on the list is Billy Hamilton.
Can you legally steal first base?
Yes, whenever the baseball falls on the ground, in the case of a passed ball, wild pitch, or in an event of the catcher not catching the ball, the batter is allowed to steal the first base.
Conclusion
TB means Total Bases is one of the important parameters to determining or counting how many times a batter has earned bases through his hits. When a batter covers all 4 bases, it is a home run, for triple he is awarded 3 bases, for double, 2 bases, and for a single, first base is awarded.
The baseball comprises 4 bases, home plate, first, second and third. He is awarded a home run whenever a batter advances through all these 4 bases.
