But, while a sacrifice fly does not affect a player's batting average, it counts as a plate appearance and lowers the on-base percentage.
At the professional level this will typically occur only in unusual circumstances that prevent the defense from making an immediate throw back to the infield, such as an outfielder colliding with the wall while making a catch on the warning track or a fly ball caught at the deepest part of the yard.
It can also happen if two very fast baserunners occupy 2nd and 3rd base, such as when Willie McGee and Ozzie Smith scored on Tom Herr's sacrifice fly in the 1982 World Series.
In 1912, Larry Gardner of the Boston Red Sox hit a fly ball off a pitch from the New York Giants' Christy Mathewson.
Steve Yerkes tagged up and scored from third base to win game 8 in the tenth inning and take the series for the Red Sox.