Editing Plate appearance (section)

{{Short description|Baseball statistic}}
[[Image:Baseball jimmy rollins 2004.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Jimmy Rollins]] holds the single season record for most plate appearances, at 778]]

In [[baseball]], a player is credited with a '''plate appearance''' (denoted by '''PA''') each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the [[Official Baseball Rules]], a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Official Baseball Rules|publisher=Commissioner of Baseball|year=2018|isbn=9780996114066|edition=2018}}</ref> This happens when he [[strikeout|strikes out]] or is declared [[out (baseball)|out]] before reaching first base; or when he reaches first base [[safe (baseball)|safely]] or is awarded first base (by a [[base on balls]], [[hit by pitch]], [[catcher's interference]], or [[Obstruction (baseball)|obstruction]]); or when he hits a [[fair ball]] which causes a preceding runner to be put out for the third out before he himself is put out or reaches first base safely (''see also'' [[left on base]], [[fielder's choice]], [[force play]]). A very similar [[baseball statistics|baseball statistic]], [[at bat]]s, counts a subset of plate appearances that end under certain circumstances.