In baseball, what is another name for a walk?

In baseball, another name for a walk is a base on balls. The official abbreviation is BB, and the play occurs when a batter receives four pitches outside the strike zone that the umpire calls balls.

The batter is awarded first base without being liable to be put out. A walk is not counted as a hit or an official at-bat, so it does not lower or raise batting average. It does count as a plate appearance and helps increase on-base percentage, which measures how often a player reaches base.

A walk is different from a hit by pitch. Both can send a batter to first, but a hit batter is struck by the pitch, while a base on balls results from four called balls. The ball remains live after a walk, so runners may sometimes advance beyond the bases they are forced to take.

An intentional walk is a strategic version in which the defense deliberately gives the batter first base, often to face a less dangerous hitter next.