A hit in baseball is credited to a batter when they strike the ball into fair territory and safely reach at least first base without the benefit of a defensive error or a fielder's choice. This means the batter must reach base before being tagged out or before a fielder can throw the ball to first base to get them out

. There are four main types of hits:

• Single : The batter reaches first base safely.
• Double : The batter reaches second base safely.
• Triple : The batter reaches third base safely.
• Home run : The batter rounds all bases and scores, usually by hitting the ball out of the playing field in fair territory

Hits include balls that land or are touched in fair territory, including those that take an unnatural bounce or are hit with such force or speed that fielders cannot make a play with ordinary effort. Even if the batter is thrown out trying to advance beyond the base reached on the hit (e.g., trying to stretch a single into a double), the initial base reached safely still counts as a hit

. A hit is not credited if the batter reaches base due to:

• A defensive error
• A fielder's choice (when a fielder chooses to put out another runner instead of the batter)
• A walk, hit by pitch, or catcher’s interference

In summary, a hit is any fair ball struck by the batter that allows them to reach base safely without error or fielder's choice, and it includes singles, doubles, triples, and home runs