Caught stealing - Definition and Overview

In baseball, a player is charged with a caught stealing when, as a runner, the player attempts to advance from one base to another without the ball being struck by a batter, but is put out by a fielder while making the attempt. A caught stealing can not be charged to a batter-runner (i.e. player who is still advancing as the direct result of his reaching base).

Situations in a which a player can be caught stealing include the following

• a runner, attempting a Stolen base, is put out
• a runner is picked off a base, or gets caught in a rundown play
• a runner, attempting a Stolen base, is safe, but a fielder is charged with an error on catching the ball, and in the judgment of the official scorer, the runner would have been out if the ball had been caught.