Rules
Innings
Baseball games last nine innings, with each side batting until three of its players are declared out and then fielding (or vice versa). If the score remains tied, then extra innings are played until a side scores a run and wins the game.
Field of play
The main part of the baseball pitch is known as a ‘diamond’. It is essentially a square, with sides of 28m in length, sitting on its point. On each point is a base. The batter stands on the bottom or ‘home’ base. On his right is the first base, with the second base at the top of the diamond and third base on the left. To score a run, the batter has to run through all three bases and get back to home.
In the middle of the diamond is a raised clay mound, from which the pitcher of the fielding team throws the ball. The limit to the playing field is an arc extending up to 120 metres from home base along the arms of the diamond. If the ball is hit beyond this arc, the batter and runners instantly awarded a home run.
Fielding
When fielding, a team has nine players on the pitch. They adopt key strategic positions on the boundary of the field such as leftfield, centrefield and rightfield to catch long balls, as well as infield players such as the shortstop and the basemen who guard the points that runners must pass through to score runs. Behind the batter is a catcher, who receives the ball from the pitcher in missed hits.
Pitching
The pitcher can throw the ball in a number of ways – straight and fast, or with varying degrees of curve, dip and spin to confuse the batter. He has to get the ball in a rectangular area between the knees and armpits of the batter. His aim is to prevent the batter from hitting the ball (a ‘strike’) or to prevent the batter from hitting the ball far enough to get a home run.
Batting
Representatives of the batting team come onto the pitch one at a time and have three goes to hit the ball. They use the time it takes the fielders to recover the ball to get as far around the bases as possible. If they get all the way around in one go – invariably by hitting the ball into the outfield – it’s a home run. If they miss the ball three times (‘strikes’) or make foul hits, they are declared out.
Strikes and fouls
If the batter attempts to hit the ball, but misses, it is declared a strike even if the ball is outside the zone. If the batter thinks the ball will be outside the zone he can decide not to hit it. If the umpire declares the ball in the zone, the batter picks up a strike, but if it is declared outside the zone, he is awarded an extra ball. If the batter accumulates four balls, he is automatically awarded first base. The batter can also hit a foul ball, however, if it goes outside the area defined by the arms of the diamond. This is counted as a strike.
Outs
A player is declared out when they have three ‘strikes’, when a fielder catches a hit ball without it touching the ground, or when a runner is struck out and tapped with the ball between bases. When three players from the batting side are declared out, the teams swap round so the batting team gets to field and the fielding team gets to bat. Each i
Tactics
Batters can do a ‘sacrifice’ hit, in which they tap the ball lightly to the ground. As the fielders scramble to reach the ball and get the batter out this can allow a runner on second or third base to try and get home.
Alternatively, pitchers can deliberately throw the ball out of the strike zone four times to make sure a good batter has no chance of a big hit or a home run. After four balls he would walk straight to the first base. This is called ‘intentional walk’.
A runner on one of the bases can set off as soon as the pitcher has thrown the ball. If the batter misses the ball, though, the catcher can throw it to the man guarding the next base to get the runner out. Or, he can throw it to another fielder, who attempts to tap the runner with the ball to get him out.
The worst scenario is for a batter and runner to get caught in a ‘double play’ when a runner is on first base. The runner has to leave first base to make room for the batter after a hit. The second baseman would pick up the ball to run out the runner, and then throw it quickly to first base to help run out the batter.
The biggest gamble for the batting team is to have ‘loaded bases’, with runners on first, second and third base. If the batter hits a home run, all four players are awarded a run. This is called a ‘grand slam’. Loaded bases makes it easier for the fielders to do a double play, though, and average batters may do an intentional walk to help the second and third basemen reach home if at all possible.