It’s conceivable that someone, through a series of incredibly unlikely events win a game for his team without an at bat. There are actually several ways.

Here’s one: A hitter steps up to the plate and gets hit by a pitch. No at bat. He steals second base. Advances to third on a wild pitch. Then scores on a balk. No at bat, no hit, no RBI, 1 run scored.

Here’s another. Bottom of the ninth inning, tie game. Runners on first and third. Batter grounds into a double play. Run scores. No hit, 2 outs created, no RBI awarded. Game won.

Successful or not? Pretty obvious that batting average isn’t always the correct measure.

It makes me think of the guy who strikes out but forced the pitcher to throw 20 pitches in the process. He created a lot of damage without ever reaching base.