baseball statistics Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team. Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itsel ...

, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''

fly out In baseball, the rules state that a batted ball is considered in flight when it has not yet touched any object other than a fielder or his equipment. Such a ball can be caught by a fielder to put the batter out. Once a batted ball touches the g ...

'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base (a tagout) * Catching a batted or thrown ball and tagging a base to put out a batter or runner (a

force out In baseball, a force is a situation when a baserunner is compelled (or ''forced'') to vacate their starting base (time-of-pitch base) and try to advance to the next base. When a runner is forced to advance to a base, they are forced out if an o ...

, or if done after a flyout, a doubling off) * Catching a thrown ball and tagging a base to record an out on an

appeal play In baseball, an appeal play occurs when a member of the defensive team calls the attention of an umpire to an infraction which he would otherwise ignore. Appeal play situations A runner shall be called out, after a successful live ball appeal, if ...

* Catching a third strike (a

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

) * Catching a batted ball on the

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

flyout In baseball, the rules state that a batted ball is considered in flight when it has not yet touched any object other than a fielder or his equipment. Such a ball can be caught by a fielder to put the batter out. Once a batted ball touches the gr ...

) * Being positioned closest to a runner called out for

interference Interference is the act of interfering, invading, or poaching. Interference may also refer to: Communications * Interference (communication), anything which alters, modifies, or disrupts a message * Adjacent-channel interference, caused by extr ...

In a regulation nine-inning game, the winning team will always have a total of 27 putouts, as one putout is awarded for every defensive out made; this is one aspect of proving a

box score A box score is a structured summary of the results from a sport competition. The box score lists the game score as well as individual and team achievements in the game. Among the sports in which box scores are common are baseball, basketball, ...

All-time records

Career records

Jake Beckley Jacob Peter Beckley (August 4, 1867 – June 25, 1918), nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Y ...

: 23,709 #

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

: 21,695 #

Ed Konetchy Edward Joseph Konetchy (September 3, 1885 – May 27, 1947), nicknamed "Big Ed" and "The Candy Kid", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball for a number of teams, primarily in the National League, from to . He played for the St. L ...

: 21,361 #

Eddie Murray Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie," is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...

: 21,255 #

Charlie Grimm Charles John Grimm (August 28, 1898 – November 15, 1983), nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman, most notably for the Chicago Cubs; he was als ...

: 20,711 #

Stuffy McInnis John Phalen "Stuffy" McInnis (September 19, 1890 – February 16, 1960) was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues, where his spectacular playing brought ...

: 19,962 #

Mickey Vernon James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland Indians (1949–1950, 1958), Boston Red ...

: 19,808 #

Jake Daubert Jacob Ellsworth Daubert (April 7, 1884 – October 9, 1924) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Superbas and Cincinnati Reds. His career lasted from 1910 until his death in 1924. Daubert was recogni ...

: 19,634 #

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...

: 19,510 #

Joe Kuhel Joseph Anthony Kuhel (June 25, 1906 – February 26, 1984) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he was a first baseman who played in the Major Leagues from 1930–47 for the Washington Senators (1930 ...

: 19,386

Single season records

Pitchers

# Dave Foutz: 57 (1886) #

Tony Mullane Anthony John Mullane (January 30, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nicknamed "Count" and "The Apollo of the Box", was an Irish Major League Baseball player who pitched for seven teams during his 13-season career. He is best known as an ambidextrous pi ...

: 54 (1882) #

George Bradley George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest lea ...

: 50 (1876) #

Guy Hecker Guy Jackson Hecker (April 3, 1856 – December 3, 1938) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Youngsville, Pennsylvania. His debut game took place on May 2, 1882. His final game took place on September 30, 1890. Du ...

: 50 (1884) #

Mike Boddicker Michael James Boddicker (born August 23, 1957) is an American right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles (1980–1988), Boston Red Sox (1988–1990), Kansas City Royals (1991–1992), and Milwaukee Brewers (1993). ...

: 49 (1984) #

Larry Corcoran Lawrence J. Corcoran (August 10, 1859 – October 14, 1891) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Corcoran debuted in the 1880 season, where he won 43 games and led the Chicago team to the National ...

: 47 (1884) #

Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

: 45 (1876) #

Ted Breitenstein Theodore P. ("Ted" or "Breit") Breitenstein (June 1, 1869 – May 3, 1935) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from St. Louis, Missouri who played from to for the St. Louis Browns/Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He is best known f ...

: 45 (1895) #

Jim Devlin James Alexander Devlin (June 6, 1849 – October 10, 1883) was an American Major League Baseball player who played mainly as a first baseman early in his career, then as a pitcher in the latter part. He played for three teams during his five ...

: 44 (1876) # Dave Foutz: 44 (1887) # Bill Hutchinson: 44 (1890)

Catchers

# Johnny Edwards: 1,135 (Houston Astros, 1969) #

Yadier Molina Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the great ...

: 1,113 (St. Louis Cardinals, 2016) #

: 1,082 (St. Louis Cardinals, 2017) # Russell Martin: 1,065 (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2007) #

: 1,064 (St. Louis Cardinals, 2015) #

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball tea ...

: 1,055 (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1996) # Dan Wilson: 1,050 (Seattle Mariners, 1997) #

: 1,045 (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1997) # Michael Barrett: 1,035 (Chicago Cubs, 2004) #

Jason Kendall Jason Daniel Kendall (born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 through 2010 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Ka ...

: 1,015 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1998)

First basemen

Jiggs Donahue John Augustine Donahue (July 13, 1879 – July 19, 1913) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers / Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox and the Washington ...

: 1,846 (1907) # George Kelly: 1,759 (1920) #

Phil Todt Philip Julius Todt (August 9, 1901 – November 15, 1973), nicknamed "Hook", was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played between the and seasons. Listed at , 175 lb., Todt batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Saint Lo ...

: 1,755 (1926) #

Wally Pipp Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Pipp played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds between 1913 ...

: 1,710 (1926) #

: 1,697 (1906) # Candy LaChance: 1,691 (1904) # Tom Jones: 1,687 (1907) #

Ernie Banks Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between ...

: 1,682 (1965) #

: 1,667 (1922) #

: 1,662 (1927)

Second basemen

Bid McPhee John Alexander "Bid" McPhee (November 1, 1859 – January 3, 1943) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball second baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from until , all for the Cincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to the ...

: 529 (1886) #

Bobby Grich Robert Anthony Grich (born January 15, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles (–) and the California Angels (–). In 1981, Grich led the ...

: 484 (1974) #

Bucky Harris Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (November 8, 1896 – November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball second baseman, manager and executive. While Harris played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tiger ...

: 483 (1922) #

Nellie Fox Jacob Nelson “Nellie” Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen of all time, and the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (M ...

: 478 (1956) #

Lou Bierbauer Louis W. Bierbauer (September 28, 1865 – January 31, 1926) was an American professional baseball player. He was a second baseman in Major League Baseball during the late 1880s and 1890s. Over that period of time, he played for the Philadelphia ...

: 472 (1889) #

Billy Herman William Jennings Bryan Herman (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many ...

: 466 (1933) #

Bill Wambsganss William Adolf Wambsganss (March 19, 1894 – December 8, 1985) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 in baseball, 1914 through 1926 in baseball, 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia ...

: 463 (1924) #

Cub Stricker John A. "Cub" Stricker, born John A. Streaker (June 8, 1859 – November 19, 1937) was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different teams during his 11-season career, mostly with t ...

: 461 (1887) #

Buddy Myer Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from through . A two-time All-Star, Myer was notable for being the American ...

: 460 (1935) # Bill Sweeney: 459 (1912)

Third basemen

Denny Lyons Dennis Patrick Aloysius Lyons (March 12, 1866 – January 2, 1929) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played third base for the Providence Grays (1885), Philadelphia Athletics (1886–90), St. Louis Browns (1891), New York Gia ...

: 255 (Philadelphia Athletics, 1887) # Jimmy Williams: 251 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1899) #

Jimmy Collins James Joseph Collins (January 16, 1870 – March 6, 1943) was an American professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball. Collins was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. Collins was especially regarded fo ...

: 251 (Boston Beaneaters ational League 1900) #

: 243 (Boston Beaneaters ational League 1898) #

Willie Kamm William Edward Kamm (February 2, 1900 – December 21, 1988) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from to . Kamm played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox before finishing ...

: 243 (Chicago White Sox, 1928) #

: 236 (Chicago White Sox, 1927) #

Frank Baker John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922 for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Althoug ...

: 233 (Philadelphia Athletics, 1913) #

Bill Coughlin William Paul Coughlin (July 12, 1878 – May 7, 1943), was a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Washington Senators (1901–1904) and Detroit Tigers (1904–1908). Coughlin spent his entire adult life (1899–1943) playing and coaching ...

: 232 (Washington Senators, 1901) #

Ernie Courtney Edward Ernest (Ernie) Courtney (January 20, 1875 – February 29, 1920) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Beaneaters (), Baltimore Orioles (), New York Highlanders (), Detroit Tigers () and Philadelphia Philli ...

: 229 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1905) #

Jimmy Austin James Phillip Austin (December 8, 1879 – March 6, 1965) was a Welsh born professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman for the New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns from 1909 through 1923, 19 ...

: 228 (St. Louis Browns, 1911)

Shortstops

Donie Bush Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (; October 8, 1887Sources differ as to Bush's date of birth. Sources listing the date as October 8, 1887, include (i) baseball-reference.com, and (ii) findagrave.com. Sources listing the date as October 3, 1887, include ( ...

: 425 (Detroit Tigers, 1914) #

Hughie Jennings Hugh Ambrose Jennings (April 2, 1869 – February 1, 1928) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won Nat ...

: 425 (Baltimore Orioles ational League 1895) # Joe Cassidy: 408 (Washington Senators, 1905) #

Rabbit Maranville Walter James Vincent "Rabbit" Maranville (November 11, 1891 – January 6, 1954) was an American professional baseball shortstop, second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Ch ...

: 407 (Boston Braves, 1914) #

Dave Bancroft David James Bancroft (April 20, 1891 – October 9, 1972) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robi ...

: 405 (New York Giants, 1922) # Eddie Miller: 405 (Boston Braves, 1940) #

Monte Cross Montford Montgomery Cross (August 31, 1869 – June 21, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played fifteen seasons in the majors, between and , for five different teams. Baseball career Cross played most of his career in ...

: 404 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1898) #

: 396 (New York Giants, 1921) #

Mickey Doolan Michael Joseph "Mickey" Doolin (May 7, 1880 in Ashland, Pennsylvania – November 1, 1951 in Orlando, Florida), was a professional baseball player who played shortstop in the Major Leagues from 1905 to 1918. During his career, he played for the ...

: 395 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1906) #

Buck Weaver George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18, 1890 – January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Weaver played for the 1917 World Series champion White Sox, then w ...

: 392 (Chicago White Sox, 1913)

Left fielders

Joe Vosmik Joseph Franklin Vosmik (April 4, 1910 – January 27, 1962) was an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians (1930–36), St. Louis Browns (1937), Boston Red Sox (1938–39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940–41) and Washington Senators (1944). He helped the ...

: 432 (Cleveland Indians, 1932) #

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

: 407 (Oakland Athletics, 1980) #

Elmer Valo Elmer William Valo (March 5, 1921 – July 19, 1998), born Imrich Valo, was a Slovak American professional baseball right fielder, coach, and scout in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Playing in the majo ...

: 395 (Philadelphia Athletics, 1949) #

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...

: 390 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947) #

Bobby Veach Robert Hayes Veach (June 29, 1888 – August 7, 1945) was an American baseball player from 1910 to 1930 including 14 seasons in the major leagues. He was the starting left fielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1912 to 1923 and also played for the B ...

: 384 (Detroit Tigers, 1921) #

Ben Oglivie Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949) is a Panamanians, Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and Mi ...

: 384 (Milwaukee Brewers, 1980) #

: 382 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1948)

Center fielders

Taylor Douthit Taylor Lee Douthit ( ; April 22, 1901 – May 28, 1986), nicknamed "The Ballhawk", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1923 to 1933, most notably as a member of the St. Louis ...

: 547 (1928) #

Richie Ashburn Don Richard Ashburn (March 19, 1927 – September 9, 1997), also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" (due to his light-blond hair), was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. (Some sources give his ...

: 538 (1951) #

: 514 (1949) #

Chet Lemon Chester Earl Lemon (born February 12, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, he grew up in Los Angeles. He was drafted in the first round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft and played 16 seaso ...

: 512 (1977) #

Dwayne Murphy Dwayne Keith Murphy (born March 18, 1955) is an American former player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder. During much of his time in Oakland, Murphy batted second in th ...

: 507 (1980) #

Dom DiMaggio Dominic Paul DiMaggio (February 12, 1917 – May 8, 2009), nicknamed "The Little Professor", was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox (1940–1953). DiMaggio ...

: 503 (1948) #

: 503 (1956) #

: 502 (1957) #

: 496 (1953) #

: 495 (1958)

Right fielders

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

: 392 (1932) #

Al Kaline Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kal ...

: 387 (1961) #

Dave Parker David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "The Cobra," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League bat ...

: 381 (1977) #

Ichiro Suzuki , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began his ...

: 381 (2005) #

: 379 (2004) #

Austin Kearns Austin Ryan Kearns (born May 20, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 through 2013 for the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and ...

: 374 (2007) #

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San F ...

: 374 (2013)

References

{{Baseball Fielding statistics