The baseball field is one of the most familiar sights in the American sporting scene, and where many young players take their first step into organized sporting competition. The field has a pitcher's mound, home plate and three bases, an infield and an outfield. The infield dimensions are quite specific, while outfield dimensions can vary from stadium to stadium.
Infield Dimensions
The infield of a baseball field has very specific dimensions. There is a distance of 90 feet between home plate and first base. There is a distance of 90 feet between first base and second base, second base and third base, and third base and home. There is a distance of 15 feet between first base and the coaching box on that side of the field, and the same distance between third base and the coaching box on that side of the field. There is a distance of 60 feet between home plate and the backstop behind the plate.
Pitching Dimensions
The pitcher's mound needs to be exactly 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate. The rubber on the pitcher's mound is 24 inches long and 6 inches wide. The mound has a 9-foot radius. The batter stands in a batter's box that is 6 feet long by 4 feet wide. Home plate is 17 inches wide. The strike zone that the pitcher is trying to hit is over the plate between the top of the batter's knees and armpits.
Outfield
There is no maximum distance for the outfield fence in baseball. However, there is a minimum distance of 250 feet for a home run. The closest fence in the major leagues as of 2010 was the Fenway Park right field foul line, at 302 feet. Typically, the home run distance in most major league stadiums is 330 feet to left and right field, 380 feet to left center and right center, and 400 feet to center field. All fences in new stadiums must be at least 8 feet high.
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