Baseball is a popular bat-and-ball sport played around the world. The United States, Mexico, Japan, Korea, China, Venezuela, Italy and the Netherlands are just a few of the countries that have professional baseball leagues. To ensure uniformity in the game, these professional leagues are guided by the rules of the International Baseball Federation, or IBAF.
History
According to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, modern baseball grew out of the English game of rounders in the early part of the 19th century. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright set out the basic guidelines of the game, most of which are still used today. In 1871, the National Association was formed as the game's first professional league in the United States. Subsequently, the first set of national baseball rules was developed in 1877 and became the foundation for the game in its current state.
Time Frame
Many rule variations have been added and removed from the rules of Major League Baseball since 1877. Some of the rules added include having four strikes per batter in the 1887 season, earning a base after four balls in 1888, increasing the pitching distance to 60 feet and 6 inches in 1893, banning "freak deliveries" in 1920, establishing minimum boundary fences in 1959 and introducing limited instant replays in 2008.
Types
Variations in baseball rules have spawned entirely separate games in the past, such as softball. The way baseball is played is also sometimes altered to compensate for younger players, typified in little league or tee-ball rules. However, the general principles of two teams receiving innings to score runs while the opposing team attempts to achieve outs is consistent across the game's various formats.
Features
The basic rules of baseball state that two teams of nine players take turns hitting and defending the baseball over the course of nine innings. Each team receives a chance to hit and defend during an inning.
While hitting, a team sends batters onto the field and receives three chances, called outs, to score as many runs as possible. A run is scored after a batter touches all four bases in consecutive order. While defending, a team must deliver the ball to the batter through a pitcher and try to record three outs. An out is recorded when the pitcher delivers three strikes to a single batter, a ball is hit into the air and is caught by the fielding team before it hits the ground, a fielder touches first base while holding the ball after it has been batted and before the batter reaches the base, or when a runner is tagged out while attempting to advance around the bases.
The team with the most runs scored at the end of the nine innings is declared the winner. If the score is tied, the teams play extra innings until one team is ahead at the end of an inning.
Considerations
The skill level of the competing players is a major factor to consider when determining the rules of baseball for a game not played under IBAF rules. The distance from home plate to the outfield fence should be lengthened or shortened depending on the overall hitting ability of the players. The distance between bases may also be decreased for younger players. Some leagues limit the type of bats, gloves and other equipment that can be used. It is critical that all competing teams understand and agree to the guidelines of the competition they are entering before play begins.
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