Rules of baseball
Throughout the history of baseball, the rules of the game have changed frequently as the game continues to evolve. A few typical rules that most professional leagues have in common are that four balls are a base on balls, three strikes are a strikeout, and three outs end a half-inning.
Baseball evolved out of bat-and-ball games in the mid-19th century, and its modern rules are based mainly on those first published in 1848. Most rule sets are generally based on the Official Baseball Rules published by Major League Baseball, though various minor variations exist from league to league; the World Baseball Softball Confederation maintains its own official rule set for international competition.
Rules
There are several major codified sets of rules, which differ only slightly.The Official Baseball Rules, published by Major League Baseball, govern all professional play in the United States and Canada. Many amateur and youth leagues use the OBR with only a few modifications for safety, including Little League, PONY League, and Cal Ripken League. Most professional leagues outside North America also use modified versions of the OBR, though these generally have more pronounced differences.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation, which governs international tournaments like the Summer Olympics, Baseball World Cup, and WBSC Premier 12, first published its own official rule set in 2023; the WBSC had previously relied on a modified set of the OBR. WBSC rules are largely similar to the OBR, with minor differences including pitch clock timing and extra-innings tiebreakers. These rules do not apply to the World Baseball Classic, which is organized jointly by the WBSC and MLB.
The baseball rulebook of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, aside from governing the games of that organization's members, is also used by several other competitions involving college-aged players.
The rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations hold sway over U.S. high school and high school-age baseball, governing and shaping the sport at this level.
History
Unlike many other sports, the Official Baseball Rules have remained mainly static during the modern era of the game. Many baseball players, fans and administrators view the rules and traditions of professional baseball as time-tested and nearly sacrosanct.This was not the case during baseball's early days, particularly in the late 19th century, when rules were changed significantly and often yearly. The modern game began to take shape in the late 1880s, with additional significant rule changes made during the rest of that century.
Early era (pre-1901)
Many of the modern rules of baseball originated with the so-called "New York game" played by amateur urban clubs of the 1840s and 1850s. These rules were first published in 1848 by Alexander Cartwright, often credited as "the father of baseball", though they were actually written by William R. Wheaton and William H. Tucker, of the New York Knickerbockers club.In 1857, under the National Association of Base Ball Players Rules which governed until 1870, the 9-inning format was adopted, replacing the previous rule that the first team to score 21 runs won. The next year, called strikes were recognized, and a batter was out if a ball, fair or foul, was caught on the fly or after one bounce. Called balls and the walk were introduced in 1863. In 1867, the batter had the right to call for a high or low pitch, to be determined by the umpire.
The National League formed in 1876. Its rules changed almost yearly for the next quarter century. In 1880, a batter was out if the catcher caught the third strike; otherwise, the batter got four strikes. Before 1883, pitchers were required to deliver pitches with their hand below their hips; in that year, the rule was changed to allow shoulder-high deliveries. Until 1887, batters could call for either a high or low pitch, and the strike zone was either above or below the waist. In 1885, the rules changed, to allow bats to be flat on one side; beginning in 1893, they had to be round. In 1887, the rules changed so that batters could no longer call for a pitch; and the strike zone was defined as from the shoulders to the knees. During this period, the pitcher's mound was much closer to home plate, foul balls were not counted as strikes, batters got four strikes, and the number of "called balls" resulting in a walk—which initially included strikes and foul balls- went from 9 to 8 to 7 to 6 to 5 and, in 1889, to 4. In that same year, the number of strikes went from 4 to 3. In 1887, a rule was adopted for that year only which counted walks as hits, which played havoc with statistics. In 1892, the 154 game schedule was adopted. In 1893, the pitching position was changed from behind a line 50 feet from home plate to contact with a rubber slab 60.5 feet away. In 1894, foul bunts were made strikes, and the infield fly rule was adopted with one out. In 1895, foul tips were made strikes, but not foul balls. In 1898, the first modern balk rule was adopted, as well as the rule for recognizing stolen bases. In 1901, the infield fly rule was extended to apply when there were no outs.
Modern era (1901–present)
Due to the frequent and often radical rule changes during this early period, the "modern era" is generally considered to have begun in 1901, when the American League - formed in 1894 as the Western League and renamed the American in October, 1899 - became a major league.Some significant rule changes continued in the first quarter of the 20th century, but were much less frequent. In 1903, the American League adopted the foul strike rule. In 1907, the sacrifice fly rule was adopted. In 1910, cork centers were added to balls. In 1925, the minimum distance for a home run was made 250 feet. Until 1929 and 1931, a ball that bounced over the outfield fence in fair territory was a home run, not a ground rule double.
After that, the rules remained virtually static for decades. Most top-level international leagues were formed during this period, including the Japanese Baseball League and its modern-day successor Nippon Professional Baseball. Already-existing leagues in the Western Hemisphere were integrated into MLB's minor leagues and thus subject to the OBR, namely the Cuban League and the Mexican League.
In 1961, the 162-game schedule was adopted by MLB. In 1969, the pitcher's mound dropped five inches and the strike zone was reduced from the armpits to the top of the knees. In 1973, the American League adopted the designated hitter rule. This was probably the most controversial rule change in baseball's history and is still subject to lively debate. It was not adopted by the National League until 2022. Also controversial when adopted was the later introduction of interleague play. On the other hand, rule changes banning the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances have had widespread support as protecting the integrity of the game.
The most recent significant rule changes to the OBR occurred in 2023, when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred introduced rules adding a pitch clock, extra-inning base runners, and restricting infield shifts. These rules have been gradually adopted in North America, but generally do not exist elsewhere in the world.
Gameplay
General structure
Baseball is played between two teams with nine players in the field from the team not batting at that point. On a baseball field, the game is under the authority of several umpires. There are usually four umpires in major league games; up to six may officiate depending on the league and the importance of the game. There are three bases. Numbered counterclockwise, first, second, and third bases are cushions shaped as square in Major League Baseball, or in other rulesets which are raised a short distance above the ground. Together with home plate, the fourth "base", they form a square with sides of called the diamond. Home plate is a pentagonal rubber slab wide. The playing field is divided into three main sections:- The infield, containing the four bases, is for general defensive purposes bounded by the foul lines and within the grass line.
- The outfield is the grassed area beyond the infield grass line between the foul lines and bounded by a wall or fence.
- Foul territory is the entire area outside the foul lines.
At the college/professional level, baseball is played in nine innings where each team gets one turn to [|bat] and tries 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 where the away team bats in the top half, and the home team bats in the bottom half. In baseball, the defense always has the ball which 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. When this happens, an X is put on the scoreboard for the home team's score in the ninth inning. 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 after that, play stops and the home team is declared the winner; this is known as a walk-off.
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 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 plate located atop the pitcher's mound—during the entire pitch, so he can take only 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 which signal to the pitcher what pitch to throw and where. The catcher also usually signals the desired location of the ball within the strike zone and "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, 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" and it is indicative of a high-scoring inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having a turn on offense.
The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition; a player may do so by batting, then becoming a baserunner, touching all the bases in order, and finally touching home plate. A player may also become a baserunner by being inserted as a pinch-runner. 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 has successfully touched home plate without being retired after touching all previous bases scores a run. In an enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence on the fly is an automatic home run, which entitles the batter and all runners to touch every base and score. On a field with foul poles, a ball that hits a pole is also a home run. A home run hit with all bases occupied is called a grand slam.