Which statement about a four-ball walk is true?

• A. The pitcher throws four balls to the batter.
• B. The batter is out.
• C. The defense requests time.
• D. The umpire calls a balk.

Answer: (A)

A four-ball walk happens when four ball pitches are delivered to the batter before the batter is put out, and the batter is awarded first base. The pitcher must throw four balls; when the fourth ball is called, the umpire signals ball four and the batter takes first. This can happen even if there have been strikes earlier—the ball count reaches four and the at-bat ends with a walk. It’s not an out, it isn’t about the defense requesting time, and a balk is a separate rule tied to illegal pitcher motion, not to a walk. So describing the pitcher delivering four balls to the batter accurately defines a walk.