A putout is when a defensive player in baseball successfully gets a batter or runner out. When a first baseman catches a throw before the runner reaches the base, that's a putout. When an outfielder catches a fly ball before it hits the ground, that's also a putout. The shortstop who tags a runner sliding into second base? Another putout.

Baseball keeps careful track of putouts in the official scorebook. While multiple players might work together to make an out (like when a shortstop fields a ground ball and throws to first base), only the player who actually completes the play gets credit for the putout. In that example, the first baseman records the putout even though the shortstop did important work too.

Putouts reveal interesting patterns about different positions. First basemen usually lead the team in putouts because so many ground balls result in throws to first base. Catchers rack up putouts by catching third strikes, and pitchers can earn putouts by catching pop-ups or covering first base. Understanding putouts helps explain why certain positions touch the ball more often and why teams need reliable players at each spot.