By Rosie Harper
“What just happened?”
The bleachers were erupting in cheers, I had jumped to my feet in excitement, and everyone was clapping. But my friend had turned to me as soon as the play was over, a look of confusion on her face, to ask the question, “What just happened?”
Baseball is a misunderstood sport. And I’m not talking about all of the nuance and beauty that is lost by the casual observer who complains that the game “is sooo slow.”
I mean that many people do not know or understand the basic rules of baseball. It’s a little bit more complicated than basketball or soccer, and many are simply not able to follow it. With the inaugural Spartans Baseball season kicking off, it is my goal to help inform people. This article will outline the absolute basic rules of the sport so that you can pop into a Spartans game sometime soon, understand what is happening on the field, and enjoy yourself. Because, hey! You know why the crowd is clapping! And you’re excited about it too!
The Structure
There are 7 innings in a high school baseball game (9 innings in the pros).
Each inning has two parts: the top of the inning and the bottom of the inning.
In the top of the inning, the away team bats and the home team plays defense.
In the bottom of the inning, the home team bats and the away team plays defense.
Each time a team bats, they have 3 outs - so there are 3 outs in the top of the inning and 3 outs in the bottom of the inning.
Each team has a batting lineup - an order in which their players bat.
A baseball field is composed of an outfield of grass and an infield of dirt.
The infield is shaped like a diamond and contains four bases: first, second, third, and home plate.
In order to score, a player must touch all four bases in order, finishing by touching home plate.
At-Bats
When a player goes up to bat: - There is a strike zone. The edges of the strike zone are determined by the edges of home plate, as shown above. - If a pitcher throws a pitch inside the strike zone, it is considered a “strike.” - If a pitcher throws a pitch outside the strike zone, it is considered a “ball.” - If the batter swings at and misses the ball, that is considered a “strike.” - If the batter hits a ball but it goes backwards, goes into the seats, or simply does not advance past the white foul lines, this ball is considered a foul ball. A foul ball counts for a strike, unless the batter already has two strikes. Then the foul ball does not count as either a “strike” or a “ball,” and the at-bat continues. Basically: a batter cannot strike out on a foul ball. - If a batter accumulates 3 strikes, he’s out. - If a pitcher throws 4 balls, then the batter gets a “walk,” meaning he gets to go to first base.
If the batter hits the ball and it advances past the foul lines (meaning that it is not a foul ball), then there are several possibilities for what can happen. - If the batter hits the ball into the air and a defender catches the ball before it hits the ground, then the batter is out. - If the batter hits the ball into the air and a defender does not catch the ball before it hits the ground, then the defender must run to grab the ball and then throw it toward whatever base the batter is closest to. Most of the time, when a batter hits the ball, they only get to first base. But sometimes, if they hit it really far, they may try to run to second or third base. If the defense gets the ball to first base before the batter touches first base, then the batter is out. If the batter passes first base and heads for second or third base, then the defense must get the ball to that other base and tag the batter with the ball before the batter touches the base. If the batter is tagged before he touches the base, then he is out. - If a batter hits the ball and the defense does not catch it and the batter makes it to first base before the ball does or to second/third base before he is tagged with the ball, then the batter is “safe.” No out is recorded. Instead, the batter gets a “hit.” The batter stays on that base and is now referred to as the “runner.” The next player in the line-up then comes up to bat. - If a batter gets a hit that enables them to run to first base, that hit is called a single. - If a batter gets a hit that enables them to run past first base to second base, that hit is called a double. - If a batter gets a hit that enables them to run past first and second base to third base, that hit is called a triple. - And if a batter hits the ball completely out of the park (past the fence) or in such a way that enables them to run all the way past first, second, and third base back to home plate without being tagged, that is a home run!
The Positions
There are 9 defenders on the field - 3 outfielders: a left fielder, a center fielder, and a right fielder. - 4 infielders: they all stand on the dirt (the infield) and include a first baseman, a second baseman, a third baseman, and a shortstop. - The first baseman stands near first base. - The second baseman stands near second base. - The third baseman stands near third base. - The shortstop stands in between second and third base. - The pitcher stands on the mound and throws the ball to the batter. - The catcher squats behind the batter and catches the ball that the pitcher throws. If he does not catch it, the ball is considered live, and the runners on the bases can run to the next base.
The offense is the team that is at-bat and consists of the batter and any runners who may be on base.
How Do You Score?
In baseball, a team scores a run when one of their players crosses home plate (after previously crossing first, second, and third base in order).
This can happen when a player hits a home run and thus runs all the way around the bases.
This can also happen when a runner is already on base and then their teammate who is batting gets a hit that allows the runner to run all the way to home plate.
Hopefully, this article helped you learn a little bit about the beautiful game of baseball! Remember that it is always okay to ask questions- someone who loves baseball will be happy to pass along their knowledge. Don’t forget to show up to Spartans baseball games this season and cheer on your classmates! Details for upcoming games can always be found in the weekly announcements.
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