Major League Baseball's rules govern the big leagues as well as the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, but the organization would like amateur teams to use its rules as well. The official rulebook states that modifications to fields, equipment, fines and suspensions are to be expected, but that rules covering play should be strictly followed to ensure the integrity of America's national pastime. With that purpose in mind, MLB keeps its official rulebook easy to understand.
A "free pitch" can have different meanings in baseball and softball. It can refer to a foul ball hit with two strikes, which gives the pitcher another chance at the batter. It can also refer to a pitch that is thrown when the b...
One team takes the field and pitches, while the other team attempts to kick the ball and run around the field's four bases. Kickball follows most baseball rules, except the pitcher must roll the ball to the plate and the kicker...
A pitcher is only human, and sometimes his grip can slip and the ball gets away or he might be pitching inside intentionally. Either way, getting hit has the potential to cause serious injury or a significant bruise. Certain ru...
Balls batted outside these lines and into foul territory constitute fouls. The official rules of Major League Baseball, the governing body for professional baseball in the United States, cover all cases of foul balls striking p...
Catcher is probably the most demanding position on the baseball field. Catchers are in the line of fire when it comes to pitches, foul tips and plays at the plate. Because catchers have to block the plate and foul tips can slam...
The National Collegiate Athletic Association governs play for women's softball at the collegiate level. The Amateur Softball Association has more than 4 million members and offers teams for men and women. Learn the rules for fo...
Determining whether a baseball is fair or foul would seem to be a relatively simple thing. If the ball is outside the first or third baseline, the ball is foul. If the ball is inside the line it is fair. If the ball starts off ...
The rules of FIFA, soccer's governing body, work to limit extremely hard tackles that might injure players and specify additional offenses that could lead to a foul call. Referees, coaches, strikers and most especially defender...
The game of 8 ball is a type of pool. The object is to pocket all of the group of either striped balls or solid balls, then the 8 ball. Players take turns pocketing balls until the group balls are cleared, then call the last sh...
The rules governing foul balls in Major League Baseball have changed considerably since the game's origins. Prior to 1883, for example, a batter could be called out if a fielder caught a foul after one bounce, and fouls were no...
In football and basketball, referees administer the rules of the game and make rulings on fouls and penalties. In baseball, the umpire rules on all plays that occur on the field. However, Dictionary.com defines umpire as "a per...
Mullany invented Wiffle ball in Connecticut in the 1950s so that his children could pitch and swing at a ball in a small backyard without breaking windows. A Wiffle ball is a perforated plastic ball rather than a hard baseball ...
It consists of two teams of nine players each, playing nine innings of offense and defense. The defensive team pitches the baseball to batters on the offensive team, who try to hit it with a baseball bat and score runs. Basebal...
Whiffle ball is a modified version of baseball played with plastic, carbon fiber or fiberglass bats and small perforated plastic balls called whiffle balls. Whiffle ball was invented by David Mullany in 1953 and has evolved int...
A dropped foul ball represents anguish for the baseball team in the field, and particularly for the pitcher, who has seen an out slip out of one of his fielders' hands. It also represents new life for a batter, who almost alway...
The Major League Baseball Rulebook, however, is quite clear on this rule point. Understanding these rules and explanations can help you determine the outcome of this type of play.
Designed for children 5 and younger, blastball serves as a precursor to tee ball and introduces kids to the game of baseball. Because of the age of the players involved, blastball features simplified rules, enhanced safety prec...
In BlongoBall, a brand name of ladder golf, two or more players or teams compete against each other, each attempting to land as many BlongoBalls on the rungs of a ladder as possible. You can vary the rules to better suit the nu...
The perforations ensure that the ball doesn't travel far, allowing games to be played in much closer quarters than those required for baseball, softball or stickball. Base running and chasing long distances after the ball have ...
Pool, or pocket billiards, requires a steady hand and keen eye, with the two most common versions of the game being eight-ball and nine-ball. In eight-ball, competitors attempt to pocket their assigned seven billiard balls, whe...
Pool tournaments on TV often feature the 9-ball variation. In this game, the object is to "pocket" the balls--that is, drive them into the pockets of the table--in rough numerical order. The 9-ball is the hot potato in this bra...
This variation of baseball, invented by David Mullany in 1953, allows children and adults to practice pitching and hitting in backyards and other small spaces. You can adapt the rules of Wiffle ball to suit a range of playing s...
The game is played with all 15 balls in the rack, plus the cue ball. Balls 1 through 7 are solid, while balls 9 through 15 are striped. Understanding the rules can improve your skills in the game.
A combination of tennis and volleyball, eclipse ball is played in or outside on a volleyball court. The game's name comes from an eclipse ball, a black and white ball that spins like a corkscrew. Players generally use a racquet...
Kids left to their own devices prove quite resourceful in coming up with games to play. This may well be how various forms of sock ball have developed. In one version, a bat from a long stuffed sock and a ball of socks serve as...
Because the game is played inside of an enclosed room with nowhere for the players to go to move out of the way of the ball, it is typically played with a great amount of intensity. Racquetball requires fast reactions and quick...
Soccer is one of the most popular games in the world and it is played by people in all age groups. Although the level of play and age of player will sometimes lead to slight changes in the rules, the main objectives and regulat...
Eight ball is a pool game that is popular throughout the United States. There are tournaments for professionals and top-level amateurs, but pool players at all levels play eight ball. It is a game where a player of ability can ...
The sport of billiards is thought to have evolved from a game similar to croquet played on a lawn, says the American Poolplayers Association. Of the many variations of the game, 9 ball remains one of the most popular. The game ...
Most people are familiar with straight pool from "The Hustler." People on bar pool tables are usually playing Eight Ball. Then there's Nine Ball, a cousin of Eight Ball. Many of the rules are similar, but its generally consider...
A no ball is a penalty in the sport of cricket against the fielding team because of an illegal delivery, or pitch, by the fielding team's bowler. The result of a no ball is at least one run added to the score of the batting tea...
Foul balls occur often during a game, and a variety of rules govern them.
Right in the middle, though, is the foul tip. Cactusumpires.com reports that a foul tip is to be called when "the ball goes sharply and directly to the catcher's glove or hand, and is ultimately caught by catcher," according to...
You can play paddleball with two teams of two players each or with two individual players. One-wall paddleball and four-wall paddleball follow similar basic rules. Standard paddleball courts are 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, a...
Despite the name, the baseball ball pass is a type of pass you employ when playing basketball. The name comes from the style of throw you use. You will find the baseball pass is effective in long-passing situations. This is esp...
The game of 8-ball pool--also known as "stripes and solids"--is one of the easiest and most popular billiard games in the world, partly because of how easy the rules are to learn and play. The game is played in amateur pool hal...
Nine ball is one of the most popular pool games to play with amateurs and in professional tournaments due to its speed of play and the simple nature of the game. The rules of 9 ball are easy to learn and can be played by anyone...
Foul balls rules used to be more complicated. Years ago, the fields did not have white lines, so it was to the discretion of the umpires to make the call. Today, imagine that a batter is standing at home plate awaiting a pitch....
Whether a ball is fair or foul might seem to be pretty clear cut. However, this isn't true in every case. For example, if a runner is hit by his own batted ball with one leg in fair territory and one leg in foul territory, how ...
A foul ball in baseball seems like it should be an obvious and easy call for the umpire to make. A ball that is between the third base line and first base line is a fair ball. If it's outside the lines, it's foul. However, it's...
