How to Play Baseball

Baseball is one of America's most beloved and iconic sports. For those new to the game, the rules
can seem confusing and complicated. But once you understand how to set up the field, how to play
offense, and how to play defense, you can join or start a baseball game of your own.

Part 1

Setting up a Team

Gather nine players. You will need at least nine people to be able to field a team for defense. It is
possible to play with fewer people, but you'll need to expand each player's coverage on the field.
This may make it difficult for players to reach the ball after it's hit though, so get as close to nine as
possible.[1]

Assign the pitcher and catcher. The pitcher is the player who stands in the middle of the field and
throws the ball to the batter. The catcher will be squatting just behind the batter at home plate to
catch the ball if the batter doesn't hit it.[2]

Make sure the catcher wears protective gear, like a face mask, since the pitcher will be throwing
balls hard and fast enough to injure them.

Select the infielders. The players in the infield (or the diamond) protect the bases. There should be
a player stationed at first, second, and third base, and they will be referred to as "basemen." Make a
fourth player the shortstop, which is a roving position that backs up the the basemen and helps
catch balls in the infield.[3]

Choose the outfielders. The three players in the outfield are the right fielder, center fielder, and
left fielder. They're responsible for catching fly balls in the outfield and chasing down ground balls
that make it past the infield.[4]

Part 2

Setting up the Field

Place the bases on the field. There are four bases (first, second, third, and home plate), which are
safe spots for runners during the game. Theyre canvas or rubber-covered bags set up in a square,
though its more commonly referred to as a diamond.[5]
 Bases are numbered counterclockwise from home plate: first, second, and third. Second base is
on a direct line from home plate through the pitcher's mound.

Each base is approximately 90 feet (27.5 meters) away from the previous one.

The lines that connect the bases are made of dirt, so that runners may slide into bases, while
the rest of the field is made of grass.

Set up the pitchers mound. The pitcher stands on a mound of dirt in the center on the diamond,
approximately 60 feet (18 meters) from home plate. On the mound, place a small rubber plate,
where the pitcher will throw from.[6]

Paint the foul lines. A baseball that's hit and lands to the left of third base or the right of first base
(as seen from home plate) is considered a foul ball, which invalidates the play. The foul lines
extend from home plate out to the first and third bases, and then beyond into the outfield.[7]

Paint the batters boxes. The batter stands either on the left side of home plate or the right side,
depending on which is their dominant hand. Paint a 4-foot by 6-foot (1.2 meters by 1.8 meters) box
on both sides of home plate.[8]

Paint the catchers box. Just behind home plate, paint a small box where the catcher and umpire
(an impartial judge) will squat or stand and watch the ball after the pitcher throws it.

Part 3

Playing Offense

Send a batter to the plate. A batter will approach home plate and stand to the side of it in one of
the batters boxes, waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball. Batters may take practice swings until
the pitcher is ready to begin.[9]

During offensive play, all players act as batters, taking turns trying to hit the ball.

Watch the ball as its pitched. The batter must try to predict whether the ball will be hittable. They
can decide whether to swing and attempt to hit the ball, or to not swing, and allow the catcher
behind them to catch it. If a legal hit is not made, the umpire will make one of three calls a strike, a
ball, or a foul ball.[10]
 A strike is an indication that the batter either could have swung at the ball and didn't, or
swung at the ball and missed.

A ball happens when the pitcher pitches a ball that's too far outside the hitting area to be
considered hittable by the batter. After four balls, the batter walks, which is a free advancement
to first base. Batters will occasionally try to crowd the plate and earn a walk rather than hit the ball.

A foul ball is a ball that the batter hits which lands outside the foul lines. Usually a foul ball
just counts as a strike; however, in most cases, players can't get more than two strikes as the result
of hitting a foul ball. Additional foul balls aren't counted.

Swing the bat. While standing with your feet parallel and knees slightly bent, hold the bat upright
at the base with two hands. Swiftly bring it forward in a fluid motion, and at the same time, shift
your weight from your back foot to your front foot. Dont forget to keep your eye on the ball to
increase your chances of making contact.[11]

Run the bases. While the hit ball is moving across the field, either through the air or along the
ground, the batter (who is now called the runner) drops the bat and runs as fast as possible
towards first base. As long as the runner doesn't get an out, they can stop at first base, or keep
going until it's no longer safe.[12]

A runner can be tagged out if a defensive player has possession of the ball and touches the
runner.

A runner can also be out if the hit ball is caught by a defensive player before it touches the
ground. This is called a flyout.

A runner can get a ground out if the hit ball touches the ground, but then a defensive player
gets possession of it and touches first base before the runner can get there.

Steal bases. In most instances, the runner won't be able to complete an entire circuit of the bases
on a single play, so they must stop at a base and wait for the next batter to step up to the plate.
However, at any time, the runner may attempt to steal the next base by running to it before the
pitcher realizes what's happening.[13]

Since the pitcher is usually the best thrower on the team, stealing a base is very dangerous: the
pitcher can turn and throw the ball to a baseman instead of the batter, allowing an easy tag out.

Load bases. Only one runner is allowed on each base at any time. When all three bases have a
runner, the offensive team is said to have the bases loaded, meaning the next fair hit or walk will
necessarily result in either a run or an out.
 7

Hit a home run. Sometimes, the batter hits the ball so hard or so well that they are able to run
around the entire diamond before getting an out, scoring a run on the first hit. This is called a home
run. Most home runs are the result of the ball being hit past the fence at the back of the outfield, at
which point it's completely out of play and all the fielding team can do is watch.[14]

A home run hit while the bases are loaded is called a grand slam, which is worth four points
(one for each runner). While rare, grand slams can turn the tide of a difficult game or virtually
guarantee victory.

Drive forward with regular plays. Home runs are fun, but not common enough to be relied upon as
a means of winning the game. Instead, focus on learning how far to run after a normal hit. By
knowing when to stop and wait, you can stay in play longer and raise your chances of scoring a point.

Avoid getting three outs. Once three batters/runners have gotten outs, the game shifts, with the
defense and offense switching places. While youre the defense team, you will not be able to score
any points.

The game has nine periods, called innings. Theyre each comprised of two parts: a top and a
bottom. When the offense of one team has received three outs, the game moves either to the
bottom of the current inning or the top of the next one.[15]

Part 4

Edit

Playing Defense

Pitch the ball. The pitchers will stand on the pitchers mound and throw the ball toward the hitter,
attempting to get an out. Pitchers often use fastballs, curveballs, changeups, and sliders to confound
batters.[16]

The fastball is what it sounds like very fast as is the curveball.

A changeup involves the pitcher pretending to throw a fastball but actually throwing a much
slower pitch, confusing the batter's sense of timing.

Try to catch a the ball after its hit. Once the batter hits the ball, it will either fly through the air or
it will roll along the ground. The defensive team, which is spread out across the infield and the
outfield (the grass beyond the diamond), will attempt to catch the ball before it hits the ground. This
automatically gives the batter an out and they cant proceed to run the bases.*17+

If the ball hits the ground before anyone catches it, the defensive players must get to it quickly
and pass it to any teammate close enough to tag a runner out.

Try to tag runners out. As long as they have the ball in hand, a defensive player can tag a runner as
they are circling the bases, and the runner will then be out. Or a baseman (the person in charge of
guarding a base) can catch a passed ball and step one foot on the plate in order to get an out for a
runner who was approaching that base.[18]

Get multiple runners out at once. When the field is set up just right, the fielders may be able to
pull off a double play or even a triple play, in which they get two or three outs on a single play.[19]

Triple plays are rare, but possible if enough force outs are available.

Double plays are more common, and often involve forcing out a runner on first, and then
grounding out the batter before they reach first.

Keep playing until the correct number of innings is reached. As opposed to basketball and many
other team sports, baseball doesn't have a clock or timer, with the exception of little league games.
Instead, the game is played until all the innings are completed. At the end of the last inning,
whichever team scored the most runs wins.[20]

Because this can make games drag on for a long time, teams are allowed to have alternates,
particularly extra pitchers (called relief pitchers) to keep play fresh from beginning to end.

If the teams are tied at the end of the last inning, an extra inning is played. It is very unusual for
a baseball game to end in a tie; typically, extra innings are added until one team manages to scrape
out an advantage.