There are 4 ways to get to first base without hitting the ball:
There are 3 ways to get to first base with hitting the ball:
7 in total.
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There are 7 ways to get on base, not 13
1. Hit
2. Walk
3. Drop 3rd strike
4. Hit by pitch
5. Catcher interference
6. Umpire interference
7. The pitcher throws the ball into the stands and it doesn't touch the ground, it is an immediate walk
Fielders choice is NOT a way to get on base, it just happens and you are not out.
The seven ways to get to first base without getting credit for a hit are bunting, walking, getting hit with a pitch, having someone try for a foul ball and fail to catch it, having someone pinch hit, pitcher balking, and kissing a girl. Baseball players joke about this all the time.
Depending on what it means to "get on base" (in the game of baseball) without hitting the ball, I suggest the following ways:
1. As a batter, get a "base on balls."
2. As a batter, be hit by a pitch.
3. As a batter, strike out, the catcher drops the third strike (or misses it completely), the batter runs to first base before the catcher (or other fielder) can retrieve the ball "throw him out" at first base.
4. As a batter, during a swung-on pitch the bat comes in contact with any part of the catcher or his/her equipment. This is most commonly the catcher's mitt.
5. Be substituted as a runner for another player who has already "gotten on base."
1. Hit
2. Walk
3. Hit by Pitch
4. Error
5. Fielder's Choice
6. Catcher's Interference
7. Dropped Third Strike
And one more for buying in bulk:
8. Fielder's Obstruction
Some would say that there are up to 15 or more ways to get on, but all of those are scored using one of these 8 or are a sub-stat, such as the intentional walk, which still counts as a walk and was only created to show how many of a pitcher's walks (not a stat you want a lot of) were made due to some strategy.
These are the ones that I can think of:
Walk (intentional or unintentional; they're not technically considered to be two different ways)
Hit by pitch
Reach first after dropped third strike
Catcher's interference
Error
Fielder's choice
Some people say "pinch runner"; usually the question is phrased "ways the batter can reach first base without getting a hit", so that wouldn't count in that instance.
Others say fair ball hits an umpire or runner before passing a fielder other than the pitcher; that wouldn't work, because the batter is credited with a single.
I also don't know if fielder interference (obstruction) would count as a hit or not; for instance, if the batter hits a play short of first, the first baseman comes up the line to play the ball, the pitcher fields it and throws to the second baseman who covers first, but the first baseman interferes with the batter-runner. If the batter is not credited with a hit, then that would be the seventh way.
1. Walk 2. Hit by Pitch 3. Error 4. Fielder's choice 5. Strikeout dropped by catcher 6. Catcher interferes with swing 7. A fielder obstructs the base path of a batter running to first base
1. walk
2. hit by pitch
3. error
4. dropped third strike
5. fielders choice
6.. interference
7. Obstruction