Baseball: Basics of the Game

The Playing Field

Baseball is played on a level field, usually about 2 acres (about 0.8 ha) in size, divided into the infield and the outfield.

The infield consists largely of a square-shaped plot, called the diamond, measuring 90 ft (27 m) on each side. At each corner of the square, within the right angle formed, lies a white slab. One of the slabs is a five-sided piece of rubber called home plate. The others, moving counterclockwise, are called first base, second base, and third base. These are canvas bags, 15 in. (38 cm) square and filled with soft stuffing to a thickness of 3 to 5 in. (8 to 13 cm). Thick white lines, called the base lines, connect home plate with first and third base. Flanking home plate are the two batter's boxes (batters may bat from either side of the plate), and behind the plate is the catcher's box. In the center of the diamond, 60.5 ft (18.4 m) in front of home plate, is the pitcher's mound. The mound slopes up to its maximum height of 10 in. (25 cm), where the pitcher stands. Although most of the infield is of grass (either natural or artificial), the pitcher's circle is a sandy area. Set into the mound is the pitcher's rubber, an oblong strip on which the pitcher must rest one foot while delivering the ball.

The outfield consists of the large grassy area that lies in back of the infield and is enclosed between extensions of the base lines that run from home plate to first and third base. These lines are known as the foul lines. Any batted ball that strikes the ground outside the lines is said to fall into foul territory and is scored as a foul ball. Batted balls that stay between the lines are in fair territory, and play continues.

Other areas of the field, each outside the immediate playing area, include the two sunken shelters, called dugouts, located along the edges of the field and occupied by the players when they are not required to be on the field; two coach's boxes, small rectangles located near first and third base; and the bullpen, where relief, or substitute, pitchers warm up before entering a game. Since the 1930s night baseball has become increasingly popular.

Equipment

The basic equipment for a baseball game includes a hard, horsehide-covered ball, which must measure between 9 and 9 ¼ in. (22.8 and 23.4 cm) in circumference and weigh between 5 and 5¼ oz (142 and 149 g); a rounded wooden bat, not more than 42 in. (107 cm) long and 2 ¾ in. (6.9 cm) in diameter at its thickest section; and padded leather gloves, worn during the defensive phase of play. Players also wear spiked shoes for better traction on the field and, while at bat, don a protective plastic helmet. In addition the catcher wears a protective cagelike mask covering the face, and chest and leg padding.

The Baseball Team

Each baseball team has nine fielders: the catcher, who occupies a position directly behind home plate; the pitcher, who, in delivering the ball to the catcher, attempts to prevent a batter from the opposing team, now standing beside home plate, from hitting the ball; three basemen, who stand or crouch at or near the bases; a shortstop situated behind the line between second and third base about midway between them; and three outfielders, who occupy positions in the left, center, and right sections of the outfield. While the players of one team are in these positions, the players of the other team take turns at bat according to the preestablished batting order; in the American League a so-called designated hitter bats in place of the pitcher. All players wear numbers on their uniforms.

The ultimate authority in matters concerning the team's training and performance rests with the team manager, who usually remains in the dugout during a game. The manager is assisted by several coaches, two of whom may occupy the coach's boxes when the team is at bat.

Basic Rules

The game is divided into nine periods of play, called innings. Each inning is further subdivided into halves, popularly called the top and the bottom of an inning, during which the two teams are alternately at bat and in the field. The team scoring the greatest number of runs at the end of nine innings wins the game. A run is scored when a batter completes a circuit of the bases and returns safely to home plate. In the event of a tie, the game continues until one team leads another at the end of an inning, unless weather or visibility conditions make this impossible; in the major leagues, no inning may begin after 1 AM. All decisions affecting the conduct of the game are made by the plate umpire, whose position is behind the catcher. Usually the plate umpire is assisted by base umpires, situated near the three bases. As a rule, the visiting team bats first; in organized baseball it always bats first. A team's half of an inning is completed when three of its batters have been put out. It then takes the field while the other team bats.

A batter is put out in a number of ways, the following being the most common: (1) if the batted ball is caught by a defending player before it reaches the ground; (2) if a batted ball that is fair (within the foul lines) is retrieved by a defending player and delivered to a teammate in time for that teammate to touch first base before the batter can reach it; (3) if three strikes are called, provided the catcher does not drop the ball on the third strike; (4) if the batter hits a fair ball and is touched by it before reaching first base. A strike is called (1) when the batter swings at a pitched ball and misses; (2) when the batter lets pass a ball pitched in the strike zone, that is, pitched so that it crosses over the plate between the batter's armpits and the top of the knees; and (3) when the batter hits a foul ball. A foul ball is not counted as a third strike except on a bunt, which is a pushing stroke that moves the ball a few feet.

Players who have reached a base may still be forced out; for example, when a runner on first is forced to run for second to make way for a batter who has hit the ball along the ground. The runner is out if the ball is retrieved by a defender at second, or if the defender tags the runner with the ball, before the runner arrives at the base. If the player at second then delivers the ball to a teammate at first before the batter arrives at that base, the batter is out also, in what is known as a double play. On the other hand, if the batter hits a ball to the outfield, the runner on first must stay there if it seems that the outfielder can make the catch on the fly, that is, before the ball touches the ground. After the catch the runner can tag up, or step on the base, and then risk trying to advance to the next base. If the outfielder fails to catch the ball, the runner must leave first base and attempt to reach second before the ball reaches that base from the outfield. These situations also occur when both first and second base or all three bases are occupied. With two or more runners on the bases, the rare triple play may occur whereby three players are put out during one turn at bat. Any runner is out if hit by a batted ball, and also if the runner leaves a base before a fly ball is caught and fails to return before the ball is delivered to that base.

The batter becomes a base runner (1) after making a safe hit, that is, batting a fair ball where it cannot be caught before it reaches the ground, or where it cannot be retrieved and delivered to first base (or any other base) before the batter's arrival there; (2) after four balls have been called by the umpire, a ball being a pitch delivered outside the strike zone, which the batter allows to pass (scored as a base on balls or, more popularly, a walk); (3) if the batter is hit by a pitched ball; (4) if the catcher interferes with the attempt of the batter to strike the ball; (5) if the catcher drops the ball on a third strike, in which event the batter must reach first base before the catcher delivers the ball to first base or tags the batter with the ball; or (6) if an opposing player mishandles the batted ball, thereby allowing the batter to reach base safely (scored as an error).

Baseball Strategy

The entire strategy and tactics of the game of baseball are built around scoring more runs than the opposing team. Of major importance is the batting order, the official schedule of a team's rotation at bat, which is usually determined by the manager before the start of a game. In setting up the batting order, the manager considers the important playing strengths of each player on the team (one player may be a particularly fast runner; another, a powerful hitter; a third, a dependable bunter) and arranges their sequence of batting to reflect the highest probability of players advancing each other to scoring position. Managers may make substitutions for batters or pitchers at strategic points in the game. Teams generally use a secret system of hand signals or body motions that allows strategy to be relayed among manager, coaches, and players without the opposing team's knowledge.

Getting on base

A batter tries to get on base by either a safe hit or a walk, also known as a free pass. Once on base, the player must be advanced by teammates to home plate. If the next batter gets another safe hit, the first may advance more than one base at a time. A player may also hit a sacrifice bunt or a sacrifice fly, so called because the batter deliberately chooses being retired so that the runner may advance safely to the next base. A long sacrifice fly to the outfield will often enable a base runner to score from third base, perhaps with the deciding run of the game. A base runner may also advance by stealing a base, that is, by dashing from one base to the next--usually as the pitcher releases the ball and only if the batter does not hit the ball--before being tagged by a fielder with the ball.

Pitching

Pitching requires great mental and muscular control. Pitching skills include speed, control, and the ability to put movement on the ball. Commonly thrown pitches include the fast ball, which has been thrown at speeds of more than 100 mph (160 km/hr); the change-up, which is delivered at a slower speed to throw off a batter's timing; the knuckle ball, thrown with little or no spin and which may move in an unpredictable way; and a variety of pitches thrown with a spin. Among these are the curve ball, which breaks sharply; the slider, which breaks smoothly, or "slides"; the screw ball, which breaks in the opposite direction of the curve ball; and the sinker, which drops just before it reaches the batter.

A perfect game is one in which a pitcher allows no member of the opposing team to reach first base; few have been pitched in the major leagues and only one in the World Series, by Don Larsen (1929-    ) of the New York Yankees on Oct. 8, 1956. No-hitters are games in which no hit by any member of the opposing team is allowed. A unique feat in major league baseball history was two consecutive no-hitters pitched by Johnny Vander Meer (1914-97) of the Cincinnati Reds in June 1938. When he retired in 1993 Nolan Ryan was the career leader in no-hitters with seven. He also holds the career record for strikeouts with 5714, and is the only pitcher to pass the 5000 mark. The pinnacle of achievement for a starting pitcher is to win 300 games in a career; in major league history only 20 pitchers have done so. Records were set by Cy Young with 511 and Walter Perry Johnson with 416, including a career record of 110 shutouts (complete games with no runs allowed).

In close-scoring games, managers frequently change pitchers as the game dictates. For example, left-handed pitchers are generally more effective against left-handed batters. One pitcher may be taken out at a critical moment to make way for another. Four, five, or even more pitchers may be used in a single game if necessary.

Pitchers usually require at least two or three days of rest between each full game. Relief pitchers, normally brought in for only an inning or two (often to rescue the previous pitcher from difficulties), are able to pitch more often. The measure of success for a relief pitcher is the save, which is awarded for preserving a lead.

Batting

Some batters are adept at making contact with the ball so that they frequently get a safe hit. Others are power hitters who try to hit many home runs. The home run is the most exciting hit from the standpoint of the spectators as well as the batters; it is a long hit, usually out of the playing field, that enables the batter and all the runners on the bases at the time to score. One of the greatest home-run hitters was Babe Ruth. In 1927 he hit 60 home runs for the New York Yankees. Ruth also held the record for career home runs, 714, until it was surpassed in 1974 by Hank Aaron, who retired with 755. Ruth was at the peak of his fame during the era of the lively ball, when it is believed that baseball manufacturers were putting more rubber into the core of the ball. New York Yankee teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris challenged Babe Ruth's home-run record in 1961, with Maris setting a new record of 61. Several outstanding batters hit more than 50 home runs in another summer of home-run fever in 1998. In remarkable streaks, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs both surpassed Maris's record. McGwire broke the record on September 8 with his 62d home run, followed by Sosa a week later. By the end of the season, McGwire had set a new record of 70 home runs; Sosa ended with 66. The record stood for three years, until it was surpassed by San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who hit 73 home runs during the 2001 season.

The modern single season batting record was set in 1901 by Napoleon Lajoie of the Philadelphia Athletics, with an average of .426.

In the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, the batters were in the ascendancy, and many games had high scores. Leading batters in both leagues usually averaged better than .350 and sometimes higher than .400 for the season. (The batting average is determined by dividing the number of hits by the number of official times a player batted, carrying the resulting figure to three decimal points.) Pitchers gained ascendancy from the late 1950s until the late '80s, when high scores and high averages again became more common. Ty Cobb had the highest career batting average, .367; he retired with a career-high 4191 hits, a record that stood for 57 years. Pete Rose eclipsed this mark in 1985, and finished his career with 4256.

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