Editing Fielding error (section)

==Relationship to other statistical categories==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}
An error that allows a batter to reach first base does not count as a [[hit (baseball statistics)|hit]] but still counts as an at bat for the batter unless, in the scorer's judgment, the batter would have reached first base safely but one or more of the additional bases reached was the result of the fielder's mistake. In that case, the play will be scored both as a hit (for the number of bases the fielders should have limited the batter to) ''and'' an error. However, if a batter is judged to have reached base solely because of a fielder's mistake, it is scored as a "reach on error (ROE)," and treated the same as if the batter had been put out, hence lowering his batting average.

Similarly, a batter does not receive credit for a [[run batted in]] (RBI) when runs score on an error, unless the scorer rules that a run would have scored even if the fielder had not made a mistake. For example, if a batter hits a ball to the outfield for what should be a [[sacrifice fly]] and the [[outfielder]] drops the ball for an error, the batter will still receive credit for the sacrifice fly and the run batted in.

If a play should have resulted in a [[fielder's choice]] with a runner being put out and the batter reaching base safely but the runner is safe due to an error, the play will be scored as a fielder's choice, with no hit being awarded to the batter and an error charged against the fielder.

[[Passed ball]]s and [[wild pitch]]es are separate statistical categories and are not scored as errors.

If a batted ball were hit on the fly into foul territory, with the batting team having no runners on base, and a fielder misplayed such ball for an error, it is possible for a team on the winning side of a [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]] to commit at least one error, yet still qualify as a perfect game.

There is a curious loophole in the rules on errors for [[Catcher|catchers]]. If a catcher makes a "wild throw" in an attempt to prevent a stolen base and the runner is safe, the catcher is not charged with an error even if it could be argued that the runner would have been put out with "ordinary effort."  There is therefore a "no fault" condition for the catcher attempting to prevent a steal. However, when considering that the majority of stolen base attempts are successful (around 2 successes per failure), this "no fault rule" is understandable due to the difficulty of throwing out runners. If the runner takes an additional base due to the wild throw, an error '''is''' charged for that advance. The other scenario where catchers may be given an error unrelated to fielding a ball in play is [[Interference (baseball)#Catcher’s interference|catcher’s interference]], when the catcher's glove is hit by the bat during the swing. The catcher is not given an error in that scenario if the batter gets a hit off the play.

If a run scores by the end of the [[inning]] that would not have scored in the absence of the error, the run is categorized as [[unearned run|unearned]], meaning that it is not treated in the statistics as having been the responsibility of the [[pitcher (baseball)|pitcher]].