What Is RHE In Baseball? (Explained)

 

There’s a lot more to baseball than just hitting the ball and running bases.

To win a game, a team must also employ certain strategies.

Knowing a team’s strategy comes down to understanding certain terms in baseball.

If you’ve always wondered what RHE means in baseball, here’s a guide to help you out.

 

What Is RHE In Baseball?

 

RHE, or R/H/E as its commonly written, stands for Runs/Hits/Errors.

It’s a summarized box of information that fans can quickly read to determine how a team performed during a specific game.

It’s part of the box scores that you see on television and in newspapers.

Since it entails three different types of information, it’s worth explaining each part of R/H/E in detail.

 

Runs

 

A run refers to when a player makes it through the circuit of bases to score at home plate.

Any time a player makes it to home plate, they earn a run for their team.

A run is basically a point.

The team that has the most runs at the end of the game is the winner.

A player who has a lot of runs in a game was likely one of the more active players in the game.

They may even be responsible for most, if not all, of the runs.

There are several ways to score a run.

Even if you don’t make it to home plate yourself, but you manage to get someone else in, your stats are also impacted.

Here are a few ways that you can score a run in baseball.

 

1. Hitting The Ball

 

One of the most common ways to score a run in baseball is to hit the ball.

If the pitcher manages to give you a ball that you can hit, all you have to do is make it to first base.

After the next player hits the ball, you can then run to second base, then onto the third base, and finally to home plate.

Once you touch home plate, you score a run and a point for your team.

You also have the opportunity to steal a base if you think you can fool the person with the ball or outrun the throw.

There’s always some risk to stealing bases, but if your team isn’t able to get hits, then it may be your only option to score a run.

Regardless, if you hit the ball, then you have a chance to score a run.

 

2. Home Runs

 

One of the easiest and best ways to score a run is to hit a home run.

As its name might suggest, a home run is when a player hits the ball out of the field without going into foul territory.

It’s considered a home run because the defensive players have no way of catching the ball if it’s hit out of the park or into the stands.

This allows the player and anyone else on the bases to run the bases freely and make it to home plate.

Even if no one else is on the bases, you can still score a run by jogging around the bases and touching home plate.

Home runs are essentially automatic runs.

They’re a chance for teams to score a lot of points if there are players on each base.

They’re also a chance for struggling teams to at least put some points on the board if there’s only the hitter who gets to score a run.

Because home runs can be pretty powerful in terms of gameplay, it’s one of the best ways to score a run.

 

3. Walking With The Bases Loaded

 

The pitcher’s goal is to throw the ball over the plate at a vertical level between the batter’s chest and knees.

These limits are at the discretion of the umpire.

When the pitched ball crosses the plate at that level, the umpire calls it a strike.

If a batter sees three strikes, they are called out.

If the pitch is outside of this zone, called the “strike zone,” it will be called a “ball.”

When the pitcher throws four “balls” before three “strikes,” the batter will be awarded first base, which is called a “walk.”

It’s great for the player, but it’s an agonizing moment for the defensive team.

That’s because a walk creates the possibility of scoring a run.

This happens when every base has a player on it already.

A walk gives the player the right to go to first base free.

They don’t have to run for it or outrun the ball to get to it.

However, if there’s already a player on first base, then that means the hitting player has nowhere to go.

What ends up happening is that each player, called a runner, moves forward 90 feet to the next base.

The runner on first base goes to second base, the runner on second base goes to third base, and the runner on third base goes to home plate and scores a run.

Keep in mind that this is only possible when all bases have players on them.

If a player gets to walk but there isn’t anyone on first base, then there’s nothing moving the other players to the next base.

Even if there is a runner on first base, but there isn’t on third base, this just means that the runner on the second base goes to third base while the runner who was originally on first base gets to go to second base.

There isn’t anyone on third base to score a run.

Also, if there are runners on second and third bases but not on first, neither of those two runners will be able to advance as the batter will simply take first base with no further advance.

 

4. A Balk

 

There’s often some confusion as to what a balk is in baseball.

Essentially, a balk is when the pitcher does something to intentionally deceive or accidentally twitches and makes the hitter or a runner think that they’re going to pitch the ball.

That’s a simplified explanation of a very complicated situation, but essentially, if the pitcher makes a specific type of mistake as he’s about to pitch the ball, a balk is called.

Balks aren’t that common in baseball for a good reason.

They can potentially earn the offensive team a run.

When a pitcher commits a balk, the offensive team gets awarded by having all runners move up a base.

If someone was on third base, then they’re able to cross home plate completely free and score a run.

The hitter doesn’t get to go to first base.

Only the runners who are already on the bases get to move to the next base unopposed.

This acts as a punishment to the pitcher for attempting to deceive the batter.

Of course, balks can occur accidentally as well.

For example, if the pitcher accidentally drops the ball, it’s still a balk, and the offensive team still gets to move its runners up a base.

A balk doesn’t occur, however, when there aren’t any runners on the bases.

That’s because there isn’t anyone to move up a base.

Since the offensive team can’t benefit from the balk, the balk simply didn’t happen.

That said, if a pitcher commits a balk while a runner is on the third base, then it can earn the other team a run.

 

5. Stealing Home

 

Another way in which a team can score a run is by stealing home.

This is another exciting moment in baseball since it always comes with risk.

Stealing home occurs when a runner on third base attempts to make it to home plate while the pitcher isn’t paying attention.

They’re usually quite fast since they have to beat the ball that the pitcher might throw to the catcher.

If the ball makes it to the catcher before the player is able to touch home plate, then they’re out, and they lose the potential of being able to score a run had they remained on third base.

However, if the runner makes it to home plate before the ball makes it to the catcher’s mitt and the catcher touches the player, then the runner scores a run.

Stealing a base is an exciting part of baseball because you never know when or if it’s going to happen.

It’s a calculated risk that can change the game in a huge way.

 

6. Sacrifice Fly

 

Sometimes a hitter will perform a sacrifice fly to earn a point for their team.

A sacrifice fly is when a hitter hits the ball high and far to the outfield.

It’s an easy enough catch that means the hitter usually gets out.

However, if the hit is high or deep enough, a runner on third base can make it home.

The runner will be able to score a run while the hitter will be out.

In fact, any runner on any base will be able to advance on such a fly ball as long as they have their foot on the base when the outfielder catches the ball.

Then, they must beat the ball to the base they are running to and must be tagged by the receiving player defending that base.

Keep in mind that a sacrifice fly can only happen when the out doesn’t count as the third out for the inning.

Otherwise, the inning is over and the teams switch sides.

The runner is unable to score a point because the inning is technically over.

A sacrifice fly is usually a strategic move pulled by the team if they’re desperate for points and don’t have many outs just yet.

 

7. Squeeze Bunt

 

Another way that a team can score a run is with a squeeze bunt.

A squeeze bunt is when a hitter knows that the runner on third base wants to make it to home plate.

Instead of hitting the ball far, the hitter will instead hit the ball just enough that it hits the field a few feet in front of them.

In most cases, a fielder can’t make it to the ball in time before the runner on third base manages to get to the home plate.

In some cases, they might be able to, but it doesn’t always happen.

This also allows the hitter to sometimes make it to first base as well.

A squeeze bunt can be a little risky if the player on third base isn’t that fast, but it can potentially earn the team a run.

 

8. Defensive Errors

 

One last way that teams can score runs is with defensive errors.

A defensive error occurs when the defensive team does something that keeps them from being able to throw the ball quickly to someone on a base.

For example, a ball might pass through a defensive player’s legs.

They might miss the ball instead of catching it.

They may even throw the ball incorrectly which results in the player defending the base being unable to catch it.

Sometimes it’s an accident.

Sometimes the pressure got to them.

Whatever the reason, when a defensive error occurs, it can sometimes give the players on the bases enough time to run.

If the error is severe enough, then it’s even possible that everyone on the bases can make it to home plate.

It’s an exciting moment for the hitting team when a defensive error occurs.

 

Hits

 

The next part of R/H/E is hits.

In baseball, a hit refers to when a player hits the ball into fair territory and makes it to base.

They’re able to hit the ball without error or fielder’s choice.

You can have four different types of hits.

They include:

• Single
• Double
• Triple
• Home run

A single is when the player hits the ball and makes it to first base.

If there’s already a player on first base, then that player is able to move on to second base, and so on.

A double is when the player hits the ball and is able to run to second base.

For example, they may have hit the ball far enough that they have enough time to make it to first base and second base.

If a player ahead of them doesn’t move to the next base, however, then they’re stuck on first base and it’s only a single.

A triple is when the player hits the ball all the way to the outfield fence and it takes a long time for the outfielder to handle it and throw it back in.

This allows the player to make it to third base.

In some cases, the runner might even be able to make it to home plate.

Finally, a home run is when the ball flies over the outfield fence.

This allows the player to make it through each base and home plate without worry.

A grand slam occurs when there are runners on all of the other bases when a batter hits a home run.

This ends up earning the team four points since all three runners, plus the hitter, are able to make it to home plate.

 

Errors

 

The final part of R/H/E is errors.

An error is an action that the fielders perform which benefits the offensive team.

There are a few errors that a fielder can do that can assist the offensive team.

Here are some of those errors.

 

1. Missing A Hit Ball

 

A common error that can plague some fielders is when they miss a ball after a hit.

Sometimes, it’s understandable.

The ball may be moving too fast and the fielder miscalculated the strength of the batter.

They may not be in the right position to make it to the ball in time.

Other times, it’s less forgivable.

The player may not be running fast enough to get to the ball.

The fielder might also just miss the ball.

They may be in the perfect position, but the ball might entirely miss their mitt or it might bounce out of it.

When this happens, the player has to spend extra time picking up the ball and throwing it.

That extra time might be all the offensive team needs to score an extra run.

 

2. Wild Throws

 

Wild throws are another common error that can occur.

A wild throw is when the fielder is so frantic to get the ball to someone that they don’t throw it accurately.

It may make it impossible for the player to catch it.

They may even need to move away from the base to catch the ball.

When this happens, it gives the offensive team the chance to make it to base.

 

3. Ball Rolls Between The Legs

 

Finally, perhaps one of the more embarrassing errors that can occur is when the ball rolls between a fielder’s legs.

Perhaps the ball slipped out of their mitt or perhaps they weren’t paying attention.

Whatever the reason, if the ball rolls between their legs, then this means the fielder needs extra time to turn around and grab it.

Depending on how far the ball rolled or how long it takes for the fielder to recover, the offensive team could take advantage of the mistake.

 

Conclusion

R/H/E is an easy way for fans to quickly digest the stats of a game.

Runs indicate how many points each team scored.

Hits give fans an idea of the batting performance of each team.

Finally, errors tell the fans if one team or the other had an off day which gave the other team an advantage.