Baseball originated in the United States in the 19th century. Today, it is still one of the most popular sports in the country, and is played by boys of all ages. While there are variations of the game for younger players --- tee ball allows young player to hit a static baseball sitting on a tee, for example, and other leagues feature slow pitching by a coach --- the basic rules of the game are universal at the youth level.
Basic Rules
Most youth baseball teams feature anywhere from seven to nine players on the field at a time. At younger levels, coaches or assistants may perform the roles of pitching and catching the ball. Game lengths may also be abbreviated --- typically, seven innings is the limit even in many high school leagues, and younger players might play only three. Field sizes may be smaller, and the distance between the bases is often well short of the standardized 90 feet separating all bases at the high school, college and professional levels. There is no limit to how many batters may compete in a lineup --- in youth leagues --- in order to give all players the opportunity to bat.
Batting
Batting can vary widely depending on how pitching is set up. At younger levels, all players are presented with strikes --- pitches delivered by coaches must be over the plate in order to be a viable hit. Tee ball rarely allows players to strike out, with players hitting a stationary ball off a tee. In slow-pitch baseball, players are usually given three strikes before being called out. At older levels, players assume the roles of pitcher and catcher, balls are taken into consideration and tallied, and players start to learn the tactics of working the count.
Defending
When no pitcher is present on the mound, or when a coach is pitching, stealing bases is not permitted, since the pitcher is not participating competitively. Some leagues only allow players to advance one base per hit, since throwing and catching abilities may not be as well developed as base-running skills. Some leagues also aim to avoid player contact at younger levels by requiring defenders to tag the base, not the player, in order to record an out. These restrictions tend to disappear over time. By the time youth pitchers are used, the full rulebook is in effect for all games. Stealing bases is permitted, base-running strategies are used, and players can be tagged for outs when advancing beyond the minimum number of bases.
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