Baseball might actually have had its origins in ancient Egypt, where the pharaohs played a game called seker-hemat, hitting a ball with a stick. While soccer has taken over as the most popular sport in modern Egypt, some Egyptians still play baseball. Although the nation has yet to compete in Olympic baseball, the Egypt Amateur Baseball Federation operates under the umbrella of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and thus plays baseball by the rules laid down by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).
Similarities of IBAF and MLB Rules
The basic game, as played by IBAF countries such as Egypt, is pretty similar to Major League Baseball games in the United States, The structure is the same --- each game has nine innings, and each team has nine players: a pitcher, a catcher, four infielders and three outfielders. Each batter gets three strikes before he's out, and after three players on a side are out, the teams switch offense and defense. On a hit, a player can advance one, two, three or four bases, and once the player has advanced four bases, returning to home plate, he scores a run. The team with the greater number of runs scored after nine innings is the winner.
Mercy Rule
There are occasions in Egyptian baseball games when not all nine innings will be played. While weather, power outage or other disaster are the only reasons for cutting an MLB game short is a rainstorm, the IBAF has what is known as the "mercy rule" which can shorten a game by up to two innings. If, at the end of seven completed innings, one team is ahead by 10 or more runs, the head umpire will call "time and game," and the team with the lead will be declared the victor.
Extra Innings
In both IBAF and MLB games, teams may find themselves tied after nine innings. In MLB, play continues for subsequent innings in the same manner as it has for the previous nine, the IBAF has adopted a few rules meant to speed up play. This means that in Egyptian baseball games, each inning from the 11th on begins with runners already on first and second bases. The managers from both teams may also, at the beginning of the 11th inning, decide to start the batting order anywhere in their respective lineups instead of continuing from where they ended the 10th.
Designated Hitter
The IBAF, and thus Egypt, uses a designated hitter to hit in place of the pitcher. While this is identical to the rule used by MLB's American League teams, it is different from how the game is played in National League parks, where the pitcher must bat for himself.
Pitcher's Mound
Egypt, like other IBAF countries, has adopted a few rules pertaining to pitching and the pitcher's mound, meant to speed up play. One mandates that a pitcher may not hold the ball for longer than 12 seconds between pitches. Another rule is that only one infielder may approach the mound to speak with the pitcher at a time, and only once per inning. Another allows the coach to approach the mound only three times per game for a conference with the pitcher, although this does not include trips to remove the pitcher.
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