Baseball rules

  I

  Baseball is a sport that dates back to 1744 and the game's formats date back to the modern era.  The game is big mainly in North America, Canada and Japan.  The game is played around the world with the pinnacle of the game coming from the World Series of baseball.  Ironically, the event is contested only by North American teams.

  Object of the game

  The object of baseball is to score more runs than your opponent.  The idea is to hit the ball thrown at you as hard as you can before running about 4 bases to complete a run.  Once a player has crossed four bases before being tagged out, the other batsman is in.

  Players and equipment

  A game is played between two teams, each consisting of 9 players.  The game lasts 9 innings, with each team alternating between batting and fielding in each innings.  The scores at the end of the innings are added up to a cumulative score and the team with the most points wins.  Each team has three outs per innings before they swap roles.  Each innings can be divided into top (where the away team bats) and bottom (where the home team bats).

  The field is divided into two sections: infield and outfield.  Separating the infield and outfield is a diamond shape consisting of four bases, each 90 feet apart.  In the center of the infield is the pitching mound where the pitcher stands and throws the ball towards the batsman.  The batter stands on the home plate.  The other three bases are called first base, second base and third base.  The batsman must touch all the bases before he can successfully score a run.

  Bats are made of either wood, aluminum or metal materials.  The ball is white with red stitching and is about 3 inches in diameter.  The fielding team wears 'mitts', which are basically an oversized glove to help hold and pick up the ball.  The catcher (standing behind the batsman to catch any ball) wears a leg guard in his gloves, a body pad and a helmet with extra padding.

  Scoring

  To score, a batsman must hit the ball with the bat into the designated fielding area and make it around all four bases (before the fielding team is able to collect the ball and throw it at the base on which  The batsman is running).  A player may score a mandatory point if they hit a home run, which usually means the ball has left the playing area, often landing in the crowd.  A player may stop at any base if they feel they cannot reach the next base before they are tagged out.

  Players can score multiple points from a single hit if more than one player is already on one of the bases.  When you hear the phrase 'bases are loaded', it refers to the instance where there is one player on each base.  Therefore, each time a batsman successfully reaches first base, the other players in second and third base are able to trick home, earning a point for their team each time.  How many players get to home plate before you're tagged in will depend on how many points you get.  A maximum of four points can be scored on a single hit.

  Winning the game

  To win a game, you must outsmart your opposition through 9 innings played.  The team with the most points after 9 innings is considered the winner.  In the event of a tie, additional innings are played until a winner is eliminated.

  Rules of baseball

  There are two teams of 9 players in baseball.

  The position of the fielding team is composed of a pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, and three outfielders in left field, center field, and right field.

  The game lasts for 9 innings, with both teams getting a chance to bat once.  If the game is a tie after 9 innings, an extra innings will be added until a winner is found.  If the team batting second at the bottom of the ninth inning is already leading on points, it need not complete its batting innings.

  Once a batting order is chosen, it cannot be changed throughout the game.  Substitutes are allowed, however, should they bat in the order of the previous player they substituted.

  If the batsman manages to hit the ball with the pitcher, they must at least try to reach first base.  They can then run to as many bases as they want before being tagged in.  Each base must be touched by some part of the batsman's body when running past.

  A batsman strikes three times before being dismissed.  A strike is considered when a batsman swings for the ball and misses.  The batsman may release the ball, but if it is within a certain area (called the 'strike zone'), a strike will also be awarded.  If four balls miss the strike zone and the batsman does not swing his bat, he may go to first base.

  While on base, the batter can move to the next base at any time.

  Players can either 'strike out' (referring to the batsman having missed three times), 'force out' (when a player fails to make base in front of a defensive player), 'fly out' (when the ball hits the air).  goes and is caught without bouncing), and 'tag out' (where a defensive player tags the batsman with the ball while they are running).