Though it doesn’t seem like it right now, baseball season is upon us. If you’re like me, you’re going to need a refresher course on the basic rules of the game. The basics of baseball are simple: nine players play various defensive positions with the goal of getting three “outs” on the other baseball team. On offense, everybody bats (except maybe the pitcher), and the goal is to get on base and ultimately score a run. Traditionally, each baseball team fields nine playersalthough a Major League Baseball team has many more than that on its payroll. One pitcher alone can’t pitch every game, and even the outfielders will need a break every now and thenafter all, the regular season is 162 games.
Baseball is a game of outsthree strikes and you’re out; three outs and your team is done for the inning. Batters can be ruled “out” any number of ways: if a fielder catches your fair or foul ball; after hitting the ball, if you or first base is tagged before you are able to touch the base; if you purposely obstruct the catcher from fielding or throwing; and a variety of other reasons. The batter’s job in this game is to make sure your team gets the least number of “outs” as possible.
Next, apart from getting the fewest “outs,” you always have to pay attention to getting on base. In baseball, getting on base is your main goal whenever you stand in the batter’s box at home plate. After all, if you don’t get on base, you can’t score. There are a variety of ways you can get on base, including hitting a fair ball that is not caught by a fielder before it hits the ground, hitting a fair ball that touches the ground and is picked up by a fielder whose throw fails to beat you to a base, and beating the catcher’s throw to first base when a third strike skips past the catcher, among many others.
Those are the basic rules. There are small details to work out as you play, and they will always vary depending on where you’re playing and who you’re Qplaying with. The number of players could vary, and the rules could be slightly shifted for shorter game play, but the rules outlined here are the basics that you need to follow for a game of baseball. The most important rule is to have fun, as that’s the whole point of these games. Just get out, enjoy it, get some exercise, and have some friendly competition with some good friends.