One of the cruelest stats in baseball if a forced runner isn't able to get to their next base on hits to the outfield! But alas, yes... it is an o'fer.
To the OP: let's say there is a runner on 2nd (R2), less than two outs. The batter (B1) hits a rather ground ball to the shortstop and R2 attempts to advance to third base, drawing the SS's attention and causing him to decide to make a play on him.
Whether or not R2 safely makes a bag, if the SS had an opportunity to make a play on B1 at first base with ordinary effort, then he will be credited with a fielder's choice, and not a hit. This is true even if R2 successfully makes it to third base. The game sometimes has trouble scoring this kind of play correctly.
Here is another one: runner on 3rd base (R3), less than two outs and the infield playing rather shallow. The batter (B1) hits a ground ball to the SS who holds R3 from attempting to score after snagging the ball, and throws B1 out at first base. If R3 attempts to score due to the throw to first base and does so successfully, his advancement is a result of the
fielder's choice to make a play on B1 as opposed to trying to hold him (as a side note, if the fielder chose to hold the ball there and not make a play on B1 as he could have, that is once again a fielder's choice on the batter, so the batter is screwed on this play no matter what happens... including a throwing error). The point I want to make is if R3
scores on this play, the batter will not be credited with an RBI. R3 did not score as a result of B1's hit, but rather as a result of the 6-3 putout attempt on defense. I have never been able to score on these kinds of plays in The Show because they snap the ball too quickly around the field, or know how to cancel a throw if I try and do it in time.
Runners advance on fielder's choices all of the time. Last example: runner on 2nd base (R2)... base hit to CF where R2 attempts to score, and the CF tries to throw him out at the plate, overthrowing the cutoff. B1 is now at first base and recognizes the high throw, and advances to second on the throw. This is not a throwing error, but it
is a fielder's choice. In other words, B1 does not receive a double. The game scores this play correctly.
SIDE NOTE: If nobody is on base and a ground ball is hit to an infielder who (for some unknown reason) holds onto the ball or doesn't throw it to first base, B1 will receive a hit. There is no "fielder's choice" on a nonexistent runner. That's just a mental lapse of judgment (or someone pressing the wrong button on the controller
), and mental errors do not show up as physical errors in the scorebook. However, if a proper throw is made to first base and the first baseman mistakenly isn't at the bag or doesn't step on the bag in time (when it could have been done with "ordinary effort"), a fielding error can be charged to the first baseman, or whichever defender is supposed to be occupying first base at the time.