baseball statistics Baseball statistics include a variety of metrics used to evaluate player and team performance in the sport of baseball. Because the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and player activity is characteristically distinguishable ind ...

, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

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, 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 that they would otherwise ignore. Appeal play situations A runner shall be called out, after a successful live ball appeal, i ...

* 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 means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

) * Catching a batted ball on the fly (a flyout) * 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 extra ...

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, A ...

. While the abbreviation for putout is "PO",

baseball scorekeeping Baseball scorekeeping is the practice of recording the details of a baseball game as it unfolds. Professional baseball leagues hire official scorers to keep an official record of each game (from which a box score can be generated), but many fans ...

typically records the specific manner in which an out was achieved, without explicitly noting which player is awarded the putout for common plays. For example, a strikeout is recorded without noting the putout by the catcher, with additional detail only provided as needed. For example, " Fryman struck out (catcher to first)" in a play-by-play summary in reference to an out recorded following an

uncaught third strike In baseball and softball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes referred to as dropped third strike or non-caught third strike) occurs when the catcher fails to cleanly catch a pitch for the third strike of a plate appearance. In Major League Base ...

, which indicates the putout was credited to the

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

rather than the

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

All-time records

''Content in this section has been updated through completion of the 2022 major-league season.''

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 ...

: 23,767 (1888–1907) #

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain"), "Pop", and "Baby" (early in his career) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association ...

: 22,572 (1871–1897) #

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. ...

: 21,378 (1907–1921) #

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 ...

: 21,265 (1977–1997) #

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 also ...

: 20,722 (1916–1936) #

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

: 20,120 (1909–1927) #

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 ...

: 19,819 (1939–1960) #

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 (1910–1924) #

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, 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 ...

: 19,525 (1923–1939) #

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 to 1947, primarily for the Washington ...

: 19,386 (1930–1947) Note: each of the above players was primarily a first baseman.
Note: entering the season,

Joey Votto Joseph Daniel Votto (born September 10, 1983) is a Canadian-American former professional baseball first baseman who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 to 2023. He was the second Canad ...

has the most putouts among active MLB players, with 14,440.
Source:

Single season records

The most putouts recorded by any player in a single major-league season is 1,846 by

Jiggs Donahue John Augustine Donahue (July 13, 1879 – July 19, 1913) was an American professional baseball first baseman and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers / St. Louis Browns, Chicago White ...

, a

with the 1907 Chicago White Sox.

Pitchers

Source:

Catchers

Source: Note: as the majority of putouts by catchers occur on strikeouts, most single-season putout records for catchers have occurred in recent seasons (excepting the shortened season), consistent with the increase in total strikeouts per MLB season (for example; 42,104 in 2021 compared to 34,489 in 2011).

First basemen

Source:

Second basemen

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Third basemen

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Shortstops

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Left fielders

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Center fielders

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Right fielders

Source:

References

{{Baseball Fielding statistics

All-time records

Career records

Single season records

Pitchers

Catchers

First basemen

Second basemen

Third basemen

Shortstops

Left fielders

Center fielders

Right fielders

See also

References