The rules of baseball are familiar to people because the game is popular in many parts of the world. In the United States, many youngsters grow up playing the game, watching others play live and on television and reading about it. The general rules are about the number of players on the field, the number of outs in an inning and the number of innings in the game.
Game Format
Unlike many other sports, baseball is not played with time constraints. Games are nine innings long. The visiting team bats first, and the home team gets the last at-bat. Each team gets three outs per inning, and the team continues to bat until three outs have been recorded. There are nine players in the field. The players line up at pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field and right field. If the home team is ahead after the visiting team has batted in the ninth inning, the game is over, and the home team has won. If the game is tied at the end of nine innings, the teams play extra innings until one team has taken the lead and held it.
Strike Zone
The ball is put into play by the pitcher, who must throw the ball over home plate between the batter's chest and his knees for the pitch to be considered a strike. If the pitcher throws three strikes before he has thrown four balls (pitches not in the strike zone) or before the batter has put the ball into play, the batter has struck out. Four pitches outside the strike zone to one batter gives the batter first base and is called a base on balls, or a walk. Pitchers can hit the edges or corners of the strike zone--the ball does not have to be thrown down the middle. If the batter swings and misses a ball that is thrown outside the strike zone, the pitch still is a strike because the batter swung at it.
Hitting the Baseball
Each batter tries to hit the ball, and if he puts it into play and it hits the ground, the fielder must pick it up and throw it to first base before the batter gets there to be safe. If the batter hits the ball over the fence in fair territory, the hit is called a home run, and the batter is allowed to run around the bases, and so are any runners who were on base. If a batter hits a fly ball or a pop-up that is caught by a fielder, the batter is out.
Interference and Obstruction
There are many opportunities for contact between fielders and baserunners on the field of play, but players must try to avoid contact on all occasions. If a baserunner is going from first base to second or second to third and there is a fielder in the base path who is in the process of catching or throwing the ball, the baserunner must avoid contact, or he will be called out for interference. The fielder always has the right to field the baseball, and the runner may not interfere--even if the runner is in the base path. If a fielder who is not directly involved in the play gets in the way of the baserunner and slows him down, the fielder has committed obstruction. On this play, the umpire may award the baserunner an extra base if he believes the player would have gotten to the base had the fielder not gotten in his way.
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