With Abel, Baker, Charles, Daniel. Baker is at bat when Abel is caught stealing for the third out. When the team returns to offense in the next inning, the first batter shall be?

• A. Abel
• B. Baker
• C. Charles
• D. Daniel

Answer: (B)

When a half-inning ends, the team on offense resumes with the next batter in the batting order, but if the third out comes on a baserunner play (like a steal) rather than on the batter’s own action, the batter who was at the plate at the moment the third out occurred remains positioned to start the next half-inning. In this scenario, Baker was the batter at the plate when Abel was caught stealing for the third out, so Baker will lead off the next inning. The other players follow in the same order (Charles, Daniel, with Abel already out for that half-inning’s sequence).