Baseball Rules of the Game

Rules of the Game –

Baseball is America’s pastime and has been played since 1744. There are 2 teams of 9 players – one team is in the field while the other is batting. The object of the game is to score more runs than your opponent in 9 innings (MLB). To score a run, the batting team must get a batter around all four bases (counterclockwise). Each inning starts with the visiting team batting while the home team plays in the field trying to get 3 batters out. Once they do, we move to the bottom of the inning. Then the home team bats while the visiting teams has to get 3 outs. After both teams bat once, it’s the end of the inning.

The play technically starts when the pitcher throws the ball to the batter. Each batter gets 3 strikes before he is considered out ‘strikes out’. If the pitcher throws 4 balls, that automatically moves the batter to 1st base (‘walk’) and advances other players one base if they are directly in front of the batter. The umpire behind home plate calls whether the pitch was a ball or a strike. A ball is called when the pitcher throws the ball outside the imaginary rectangle that’s easiest to hit which is called the ‘strike zone’. Strikes are called if the ball is pitched in the strike zone and the batter does not swing, or if the batter swings but gets no contact on the ball. A ‘foul ball’ is called when the batter gets the bat on the ball but it goes out of bounds (outside the foul line – see diagram) or behind him. If a ball passes a base and then goes foul, then its considered a live ball. A foul ball counts as a strike but only for the first 2 strikes; you cannot get a third strike on a foul ball. However, if a fielder catches the foul ball without the ball touching the ground then the batter is out.

Once a batter hits the ball, he becomes a runner. A runner must advance 1 base or can try for multiple depending on how many bases he can get without getting out. He can technically run to the next base at any point. If he runs to the next base before the pitcher throws the next ball to the batter, its considered a ‘steal.’ However if the pitcher throws the ball to the next base before the runner can get there, he is out. Also if he runs back to his original base but the ball gets there before him, he is out. A runner must touch each base with some part of his body for the run to count.

The fielding team can get a batter out by a strikeout, or catching the ball straight off the bat for a ‘fly out’(it never touches the ground) or by throwing the ball to a player standing on the base that the batter is trying to run to, called a ‘force out’. If a player is willingly advancing (no other player on the base directly behind them) then you have to ‘tag’ the player with the ball to get him out ‘tagout’. When a player reaches a base without getting out he is ‘safe.’

The batting team keeps batting until they get 3 outs then they switch to the field.

The game is played for 9 innings. If there is a tie at the end of those 9 innings, we go to extra innings until there is a winner. The only way a game can end early is if the home team (batting second) has the lead after the top of the 9th inning. They don’t need another at-bat because they have already won. No clock is used.

Positions 

  • There are 9 players on the field: Pitcher (P), First Base (1B), Second Base (2B), Shortstop (SS), Third Base (3B), Catcher (C), Left Field (LF), Center Field (CF) and Right Field (RF)
    • Typically, each team has a 25 man roster – 8 positions, 5 starting pitchers, 6 relief pitchers (1 closer), 1 backup catcher, 2 back up infielders, 2 backup outfielders and other (pinch hitter, 2nd backup catcher or another pitcher)
  • The Pitcher is the player who stands in the middle of the field and throws the ball at the batter
  • The Catcher is the player squatting behind the batter, catching all of the pitchers thrown balls that are not hit.
  • Infielders: 1B, 2B, 3B & SS
    • Basemen are the players responsible for protecting their specific base
    • Shortstop is a player who helps back up the basemen but usually stands between 2nd and 3rd.
  • Outfielders: LF, CF, RF
    • Outfielders are the players playing in the grass before the HR fence that are responsible for chasing down balls outside the infield.
  • Designated Hitter is a player that only bats and does not play a position in the field. Usually in place of pitchers (esp in the American League)
    • #GFHint: The National League approved the use of DHs for the first time in 2020. Normally in the NL, pitchers bat.
  • Pinch Hitter is the player that subs in for another batter. In other words, this position will never be in the starting line up as the entire point of the position is as a sub for a single at-bat.
  • Pinch runner is a player that is substituted for a player on base instead of the original batter. He is normally very quick and the player he replaced is not.

If you don’t understand any of the words used above, check out the Baseball Vocab page.

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