The idea of playing softball surfaced in November 1887 in Chicago. Alumni of Harvard and Yale universities were awaiting the outcome of the annual football game between those Ivy League rivals. After hearing that his school had defeated Harvard 17-8, a Yale fan playfully tossed a boxing glove at the Harvard fans, one of whom knocked it away with a broom handle. A Chicago reporter suggested a game of indoor baseball and the game of softball began evolving. The official rules of softball are now dictated by The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA).
Field Dimensions
Softball games are divided into three groups depending on the pitching style of fast pitch, modified pitch or slow pitch. These groups are further divided into men's and women's divisions. In fast-pitch softball, the bases are 60 feet apart. The men's pitching mound is 46 feet from home plate with the outer fence no less than 225 feet and no more than 275 feet away. The women's pitching mound is 43 feet from home plate, with the outer fence is 200 to 250 feet away. For modified-pitch softball, the bases are 60 feet apart, with the men's pitching mound 46 feet and the women's, 40 feet from home plate. The outer fence is 200 to 275 feet away for women and 265 to 300 feet away for men. In slow-pitch softball, the bases are 65 feet apart and the pitching mound is 50 feet from home plate. The outer wall is no less than 265 feet away and no more than 275 feet away for women, and 300 to 315 feet for men.
Equipment
The ASA publishes a list of approved bats. You can also use a bat with an official ASA stamp. Official softball bats cannot be longer than 34 inches, nor heavier than 38 ounces. The diameter of the bat cannot exceed 2.25 inches at its thickest part. A safety grip, no less than 10 inches long, is required and can be made of cork, tape or composition material. It cannot extend more than 15 inches from the small end of the bat.
There are five official types of softballs: 10-inch, 11-inch, 12-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch. All must be marked with a "Certified ASA Softball" label. The ball can be covered in leather or synthetic material.
Adult fast pitch, modified pitch and junior batters, must wear a double ear flap batting helmet. All players should wear team uniforms of similar color and style.
Player Requirements
In softball, there are nine, 10 or 11 players per team playing at any given time. The nine basic positions include the pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder and right fielder. Fast- and modified-pitch softball may also have a 10th player, the designated player. There is also a 10-player modified game for modified- and slow-pitch softball. An additional fielder results in four outfielders. Slow-pitch softball can be played with 11 players, in which 10 play defense and there is one extra player.
Game Rules
A game consists of seven innings. Each team gets three outs per inning. A run is scored each time a player touches all three bases and crosses home plate safely.
A batter is out if he gets three strikes or hits the ball and it is caught in the air by the defense. If the ball is a fair hit, the runner must reach the base before the ball in order to be safe.
The winner is the team with the most runs scored at the end of the game. If the game is tied at the end of seven innings, additional innings are played until one side has scored more runs at the end of a complete inning.
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