© FREE WEB HOSTING – WWW.000WEBHOST.COM
©
B a s e b a l l
A view of the playing field at Wrigley Field, Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of
nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score runs by hitting a thrown
ball with a bat and touching a series of four markers called bases arranged
at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team (the
offense) take turns hitting while the other team (the defense) tries to stop
them from scoring runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A
player on offense can stop at any of the bases and hope to score on a
teammate's hit. The teams switch between offense and defense whenever the
team on defense gets three outs. One turn on offense for each team
constitutes an inning; nine innings make up a professional game. The team
with the most runs at the end of the game wins. Baseball on the professional, amateur, and youth levels is popular in
North America, Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and
parts of East Asia and In * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * *
Game Play
A simplified version of the rules of baseball is at simplified baseball
rules. The complete Official Rules can be found at MLB.com, the official web
site of Major League Baseball in the General Structure
Diagram of a baseball diamond Baseball is played between two teams of nine players each on a baseball
field, under the authority of one or more officials, called umpires. There
are usually four umpires in major league games; up to six (and as few as one)
may officiate depending on the league and the importance of the game. There
are four bases. Numbered counter-clockwise, first, second and third
bases are cushions (sometimes informally referred to as bags) shaped
as 15 in (38 cm) squares which are raised a short distance above
the ground; together with home plate, the fourth "base," they form
a square with sides of 90 ft (27.4 m) called the diamond. Home base
(plate) is a pentagonal rubber slab known as simply home. The playing
field is divided into three main sections:
Pat Burrell of the The pitcher's mound is located in the center of the infield. It is an 18
foot (5.5 m) diameter mound of dirt no higher than 10 inches (25.4 cm). Near
the center of the mound is the pitching rubber, a rubber slab positioned 60
feet 6 inches (18.4 m) from home plate. The pitcher must have one foot on the
rubber at the start of every pitch to a batter, but the pitcher may leave the
mound area once the ball is released. At the college/professional level, baseball is played in nine innings in
which each team gets one turn to bat and try to score runs while the other
pitches and defends in the field. High school baseball plays seven innings
and Little League uses six inning games. An inning is broken up into two
halves in which the away team bats in the top (first) half, and the home team
bats in the bottom (second) half. In baseball, the defense always has the
ball — a fact that differentiates it from most other team sports. The teams
switch every time the defending team gets three players of the batting team
out. The winner is the team with the most runs after nine innings. If the
home team is ahead after the top of the ninth, play does not continue into
the bottom half. In the case of a tie, additional innings are played until
one team comes out ahead at the end of an inning. If the home team takes the
lead anytime during the bottom of the ninth or of any inning thereafter, play
stops and the home team is declared the winner.
A batter follows through after
swinging at a pitched ball. The basic contest is always between the pitcher for the fielding team,
and a batter. The pitcher throws—pitches—the ball towards home plate, where
the catcher for the fielding team waits (in a crouched stance) to receive it.
Behind the catcher stands the home plate umpire. The batter stands in one of
the batter's boxes and tries to hit the ball with a bat. The pitcher must
keep one foot in contact with the top or front of the pitcher's rubber — a
24" x 6" (~ 61 cm x 15 cm) plate located atop the pitcher's mound —
during the entire pitch, so he can only take one step backward and one
forward in delivering the ball. The catcher's job is to receive any pitches
that the batter does not hit and to "call" the game by a series of
hand movements that signal to the pitcher what pitch to throw and where. If
the pitcher disagrees with the call, he will "shake off" the
catcher by shaking his head; he accepts the sign by nodding. Each team has a
different set of signals, though the number 1 is almost universal as a fast
ball. The catcher also usually signals the desired location of the ball
within the strike zone as well as "sets up" behind the plate or
holds his glove up in the desired location as a target. The catcher's role
becomes more crucial depending on how the game is going, and how the pitcher
responds to a given situation. Each pitch begins a new play, which might consist
of nothing more than the pitch itself. Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get three members
of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field and wait for
his next turn at bat. There are many ways to get batters and baserunners out; some of the most common are catching a
batted ball in the air, tag outs, force outs, and strikeouts. After the
fielding team has put out three players from the opposing team, that half of
the inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch
places; there is no upper limit to the number that may bat in rotation before
three outs are recorded. Going through the entire order in an inning is
referred to as "batting around". It is indicative of a high scoring
inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having a turn (three
outs) on offense. The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition; a
player may do so only by batting, then becoming a base runner, touching all
the bases in order (via one or more plays), and finally touching home plate.
To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable baserunners
to score or to become a baserunner himself. The
batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory — between the baselines —
in such a way that the defending players cannot get them or the baserunners out. In general, the pitcher attempts to
prevent this by pitching the ball in such a way that the batter cannot hit it
cleanly or, ideally, at all. A baserunner who successfully touches home plate without being
tagged out after touching all previous bases in order scores a run. In an
enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence on the fly is normally an
automatic home run, which entitles the batter and all runners to touch all
the bases and score. A home run hit with all bases occupied ('bases loaded')
is called a grand slam.
Fielding TeamThe squad in the field is the defensive team; they attempt to prevent the
baserunners from scoring. There are nine defensive
positions, but only two have a mandatory location (pitcher and catcher). The locations of the other seven fielders is not specified by
the rules, except that at the moment the pitch is delivered they must be
positioned in fair territory and not in the space between the pitcher and the
catcher. These fielders often shift their positioning in response to specific
batters or game situations, and they may exchange positions with one another
at any time. The nine positions most commonly used (with the number
scorekeepers use) are: pitcher (1), catcher (2), first baseman (3), second
baseman (4), third baseman (5), shortstop (6), left fielder (7), center
fielder (8), and right fielder (9). Note that, in rare cases, teams may use
dramatically differing schemes, such as switching an outfielder for an
infielder. The numbering convention was established by Henry Chadwick. The
reason the shortstop seems out of order has to do with the way fielders
positioned themselves in the early years of the game. The The battery is composed of
the pitcher, who stands on the rubber of the mound, which is also known as
the pitching plate, and the catcher, who squats behind home plate. These are
the two fielders who always deal directly with the batter on every pitch,
hence the term "battery", coined by Henry Chadwick and later
reinforced by the implied comparison to artillery fire.
The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward
home plate with the goal of getting the batter out. Pitchers also play
defense by fielding batted balls, covering bases (for a potential tag out or
force out on an approaching runner), or backing up throws. The catcher's main
role is to receive the pitch if the batter does not hit it. Together with the
pitcher and coaches, the catcher plots game strategy by suggesting different
pitches and by shifting the starting positions of the other fielders.
Catchers are also responsible for defense in the area near home plate.
The InfieldersThe four infielders are the
first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. Originally the
first, second and third basemen played very near their respective bases, and
the shortstop generally played "in" (hence the term), covering the
area between second, third, and the pitchers box, or wherever the game
situation required. As the game evolved, the fielding positions changed to
the now-familiar "umbrella", with the first and third baseman
generally positioned a short distance toward second base from their bases,
the second baseman to the right side of second base standing farther away
from the base than any other infielder, and the shortstop playing to the left
of second base, as seen from the batter's perspective, filling in the gaps.
The first baseman's job consists largely of making
force plays at first base on ground balls hit to the other infielders. When
an infielder picks up a ball from the ground hit by the batter, he must throw
it to the first baseman who must catch the ball and
maintain contact with the base before the batter gets to it for the batter to
be out. The need to do this quickly often requires the first baseman to
stretch one of his legs to touch first base while catching the ball
simultaneously. The first baseman must be able to catch the ball very well
and usually wears a specially designed mitt. The first baseman fields balls hit near first base. The first baseman also
has to receive throws from the pitcher in order to tag runners out who have
reached base safely. The position is less physically challenging than the
other positions, but there is still a lot of skill involved. Infielders don't
always make good throws to first base, so it is the first baseman's job to
field any ball thrown toward him cleanly. Older players who can no longer
fulfill the demands of their original positions also often become first
basemen.
The second baseman covers the area to the first-base
side of second base and provides backup for the first baseman in bunt
situations. He also is a cut-off for the outfield. This is when the
outfielder doesn't have to throw the full distance from him/her to the base,
but just to the cut-off. The shortstop fills the critical gap between second
and third bases — where right-handed batters generally hit ground balls — and
also covers second or third base and the near part of left field. This player
is also a cut-off for the outfield. This position is the most demanding
defensively, so a good shortstop doesn't need to necessarily be a good
batter. The third baseman's primary requirement is a strong throwing arm, in
order to make the long throw across the infield to the first baseman. Quick
reaction time is also important for third basemen, as they tend to see more
sharply hit balls than the other infielders, thus the nickname for third base
as the "hot corner." Also, because there are far more right-handed
hitters than lefties, there are more ground balls hit to the left side of the
infield due to the natural motion of the batter's swing.
The OutfieldersThe three outfielders, left fielder, center fielder,
and right fielder, are so named from the catcher's perspective looking out
onto the field. The right fielder generally has the strongest arm of all the
outfielders due to the need to make throws on runners attempting to take
third base. The center fielder has more territory to cover than the corner
outfielders, so this player must be quick and agile with a strong arm to
throw balls in to the infield; as with the shortstop, teams tend to emphasize
defense at this position. Also, the center fielder is considered the outfield
leader, and left- and right-fielders often cede to his direction when
fielding fly balls. Of all outfielders, the left fielder often has the
weakest arm, as they generally do not need to throw the ball as far in order
to prevent the advance of any baserunners. The left
fielder still requires good fielding and catching skills, and tends to
receive more balls than the right fielder due to the fact that right-handed
hitters, who are much more common, tend to "pull" the ball into
left field. Each outfielder runs to "back up" a nearby outfielder
who attempts to field a ball hit near both their positions. Outfielders also
run to back up infielders on batted balls and thrown balls, including
pick-off attempts from the pitcher or from the catcher.Batting
team
Batters and Runners
The ultimate goal of the
team at bat is to score runs. To accomplish this task, the team at bat
successively (in a predetermined order called a lineup or batting order)
sends its nine players to the batter's box (adjacent to home plate) where
they become batters. (Each team sets its batting lineup at the beginning of
the game. Changes to the lineup are tightly limited by the rules of baseball
and must be communicated to the umpires, who have the substitutions announced
for the opposing team and fans. See Substitutions below.)
A batter's turn at the plate is called a plate
appearance. Batters can advance to first base safely in one of seven methods:
a base-hit (abbreviated 'H') or walk ('BB' for base-on-balls) are by far the
most common; being hit-by-the-pitch ('HBP'), reaching by error ('E') or
fielder's choice ('FC') are less common; and somewhat rarely a player may
reach base by virtue of interference ('I') or a passed ball ('PB') on a
strike-out, where the player is allowed to run and reach base safely if he
can. When the batter hits a fair ball, he must run to first base, and may
continue or stop at any base unless he is put out. A successful hit occurs
when the batter reaches a base: reaching only first base is a single;
reaching second base, a double; third base, a triple; and a hit that allows
the batter to touch all bases in order on the same play is a home run -
whether the ball is hit over the fence does not matter (if the ball is not
hit over the fence and the batter touches all bases, it is usually referred
to as an "inside-the-park home run"). Once a runner is held to a
base, he may attempt to advance at any time, but is not required to do so
unless the batter or another runner displaces him (called a force play). A
batter always drops his bat when running the bases; otherwise, the bat would
slow him down and could give rise to a call of interference if it were to
contact the ball or a fielder.
Depending on the way the ball comes off the bat, the
play has different names. A batted ball is called a fly ball if it is hit in
the air in an upward arc, such that a fielder might be able to catch it
before it hits the ground. A batted ball is called a ground ball if it hits
the ground within the infield before it can be caught, often due to being hit
in a downward trajectory. Several different names are used to describe fly
balls, depending on their trajectory. A ball hit high in the air and
seemingly almost straight up is called a "pop-up". A ball hit
forcefully in a fast-moving and seemingly almost straight-line trajectory is
called a line drive. A "shallow" fly ball, hit with just enough
force to possibly land between the infielders and the outfielders, is often
call a "blooper". A "deep" fly ball is hit within enough
force to approach and possibly clear the outfield fence.
When a ball is hit outside the foul lines, it is a foul
ball, requiring the batter and all runners to return to their respective
bases, whether it is caught or not.
Once the batter and any existing runners have all
stopped at a base or been put out, the ball is returned to the pitcher, and
the next batter comes to the plate. After the opposing team bats in its own
order and three more outs are recorded, the first team's batting order will
continue again from where it left off.
When a runner reaches home plate, he scores a run and
is no longer a base runner. He must leave the playing area until his spot in
the order comes up again. A runner may only circle the bases once per plate
appearance and thus can score no more than a single run.
BattingEach plate appearance
consists of a series of pitches, in which the pitcher throws the ball towards
home plate while a batter is standing in the batter's box (either right or
left). With each pitch, the batter must decide whether to swing the bat at
the ball in an attempt to hit it. The pitches arrive quickly, so the decision
to swing must be made in less than a tenth of a second, based on whether the
ball is hittable and in the strike zone, a region defined by the area
directly above home plate and between the hollow beneath the batter's knee
and the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform
pants. In addition to swinging at the ball, a batter who wishes to put the
ball in play may hold his bat over home plate and attempt to tap a pitch
lightly; this is called a bunt. Good bunting technique has been described as
"catching the ball with the bat."
On any pitch, if the batter swings at the ball and
misses, he is charged with a strike. If the batter does not swing, the home
plate umpire judges whether the ball passed through the strike zone. If the
ball, or any part of it, passed through the zone, it is ruled a strike;
otherwise, it is called a ball. The number of balls and strikes thrown to the
current batter is known as the count; the count is always given balls first
(except in
|
