Major League Baseball has a 125-page rule book governing the game and how it is played. There are detailed rules about putting the ball into play and keeping score and seemingly every piece of possible action during a game. Many of the rules are position-specific, but one section is devoted to something everyone who plays baseball gets a turn at: batting.
Two Rules about Batting Order
Players are required to follow their team's batting order, established by the coach prior to the game. Each inning picks up in that order where the last inning left off.
A batter is out if he fails to bat in his proper order and the other team notices and appeals. The appeal must be made before the first pitch to the subsequent batter.
Three Rules about Position
The batter cannot leave the batter's box after the pitcher comes to set position or starts his windup---unless the umpire calls a timeout.
The batter must have both feet in the batter's box to be legally in the batter's box.
The batter is finished batting when he is put out or becomes a runner.
Outs
After three strikes, the batter is out; there are multiple ways for those outs to be obtained. A batter is out when his fair or foul ball is caught by a fielder, or when his third strike is caught by the catcher. An out is also declared if the batter bunts foul on his third strike or attempts to hit a third strike and the ball touches him.
The batter is out if he gets a hit, but first base is tagged before he gets there, or if he runs outside or inside of the foul line on his way to first base. He is also out if one of his teammates, running the bases ahead of him, interferes with a fielder who is catching or throwing the ball.
The batter will be called out if one of his teammates is on third base, and the batter has two strikes, and the teammate tries to steal home on the next pitch but is touched by the ball in the batter's box. This counts as "strike three" on the batter. The run does not count if this marks the team's third out; the run does count if it marks only the first or second outs.
A batter is out if he hits or bunts a fair ball, but then touches the ball with his body---or his bat---after the hit. (There are exceptions to this rule if the bat breaks during the hit.)
A batter is out if he hits an infield fly ball and the umpire invokes the "infield fly" rule while the ball is in the air. This can be done when the team has fewer than two outs, with a runner on first and second or with bases loaded. It is designed to prevent the opposing team from intentionally missing the fly ball (which would count for a single out) in order to try for a double play that would earn two outs.
Illegal Action
Some moves will garner an "out" on a batter, including if he hits a ball when one or both feet are outside of the batter's box or if he interferes with the catcher's ability to field or throw. The batter is also out---and may be ejected and face stiffer penalties---if he brings into the batter's box a bat that has been altered or tampered with.
Awarding First Base
A batter advances to first base if the pitcher throws four "balls," if he is hit by a pitch (except if the pitch is within the strike zone) or if the catcher or any fielder interferes with him. The batter may also advance to first if he hits the ball and it hits an umpire or a runner before touching a fielder.
Becoming a Runner
A batter gets to run when he hits a fair ball. He also may run when the umpire calls "strike three," as long as there is no previous runner on first base, or as long as his team already has two outs.
A batter hits a home run if the ball flies over the outfield fence, and the fence is at least 250 feet from home plate. The batter progresses only to second base if the fence is less than 250 feet from home plate or if the ball hits the ground and then gets lost in shrubbery or vines, bounces into the stands or rolls under a fence.
Designated Hitters
In Major League Baseball, the American League uses designated hitters, but the National League does not. A designated hitter is typically a player who bats only and does not play defense. The designated hitter bats in place of the pitcher and is locked into the batting order.
The designated hitter is permitted to play defensively---but if he does, he must still bat in order, and the pitcher must bat in place of the player for whom the designated hitter is substituting. In addition, the designated hitter gives up his designated hitting position for the remainder of the game.
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