Countries around the world enjoy baseball. While most international competitions stay loyal to the sport's American rules, some nations place their own unique twists on the game. In Finland, baseball, known as pesapallo, has the same basic structure to the original American game, featuring two teams attempting to score more runs by hitting a ball with a bat and running around four bases. However, Finnish baseball delivers faster action and several rule changes.
Playing Field
A Finnish baseball field staggers its bases at irregular distances in a zig-zag pattern and boasts a perfectly horizontal outfield boundary and straight, vertical side boundaries, giving the field a rectangular appearance.
The distance from home plate to first base, which is stationed to the left, measures 20 meters. Second base sits 32 meters diagonally across the field on the right boundary line. Third base sits 36 meters straight across at the left boundary line, with a run to home plate measuring 38 meters. The line between second and third base divides the playing surface into the front field and the backfield. The backfield's far boundary stands 92 meters from home plate.
Players
Each Finnish baseball team includes nine players. When on defense, these players consist of a pitcher, a catcher, a first baseman, a second baseman, a third baseman, a left shortstop, a right shortstop, a left fielder and a right fielder.
Pitching
In Finnish baseball, the pitcher stands next to the batter at home plate. The pitcher must toss the ball straight up in the air, at least 1 meter above his head. This vertical pitching style makes hitting much easier, although expert pitchers know how to apply spin and alter pitch height to increase difficulty.
Batting
Each batter gets three strikes, with each pitch counting as a strike so long as the batter swings or the pitch lands on home plate as a legal pitch. Batters don't have to run the bases after hitting the ball if the hit occurs on one of the first two strikes. If the pitcher tosses a bad pitch, meaning it doesn't go high enough or lands outside home plate, the batter receives a walk. However, if runners are on base, the batter requires two bad balls to earn a walk, and then only the lead baserunner advances.
In Finnish baseball, hits beyond the far back boundary aren't home runs but mere foul balls. Hitting a foul ball on the third strike puts the batter out. For a true home run, Finnish batters must run to third base on a single hit. If they do, they earn a run and remain on third with the potential to score a second run.
Fielding
Catching a fly ball does not earn an out but does remove all runners from the base paths. To record an out, fielders must throw the ball to the base ahead of the runner or tag the runner with the ball before he reaches base. After three outs, the teams switch sides.
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