Softball began modestly in 1887 at the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago. George Hancock, a reporter, witnessed a Yale student throw a boxing glove at a nearby Harvard student, who attempted to hit the glove with a stick. Mr. Hancock took note, later suggesting the patrons at the boat club play an indoor baseball game. Since then, softball has become the number one team sport in the United States, enjoyed by millions of people.
The Game
A regulation softball game has seven innings. If there is a tie score at the end of seven innings, the game continues until one team is ahead at the completion of an inning. A game is official after five innings if the umpire ends play for safety reasons; if the teams have played fewer than five innings, the teams resume the suspended play when conditions have improved. The field used in softball has an infield and outfield. The distance between bases is 60 feet, and the distance from the pitcher's rubber to the plate is 43 feet in college. Each team when on offense has three outs to score as many runs as possible.
The Players
There are slightly different versions of softball, and hence slightly different requirements for the number of players taking the field. There are nine players in both fast-pitch and modified-pitch games, and 10 players in slow-pitch games. Teams use a set batting order throughout the game.
Scoring
A team scores a run when one of its players safely reaches home plate after touching all three bases. The winner of the game is the team that in regulation has scored the most runs. In some cases, if a team is leading by a set number of runs after a set number of innings fewer than seven, the umpire declares the game complete and the leading team the winner
The Bats
A softball bat is made of metal, plastic, graphite, carbon or a composite material; wood bats are not legal in softball. The bay should not exceed 34 inches in length or 38 ounces in weight. Some leagues or governing organizations have additional rules governing the length and weight of bats.
The Pitching
The pitcher must have both feet on the ground, touching the pitcher's plate. A legal pitching action has a step, stride, followed by a windup and delivery to the catcher. The pitcher may not throw a quick pitch in an attempt to fool the batter. As with baseball, a pitch is called a ball when it misses the strike zone and the batter does not attempt a swing. The umpire declares a strike when a pitch travels through the strike zone and the batter swings and misses, or fouls the pitch off. If the batter accumulates three strikes, he is out; if he gets four balls, he gets a free pass to first base.
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