Baseball is in reality a very complex sport and requires a lot of skill. It's not as easy as you think to just be an outfielder or a pitcher or any position, it takes a lot of natural skill, time, dedication, and practice to be better. Even the rules are complicated, they usually aren't broken because it gives up so much when it is. But know learn what baseball really is.
Rules- There are many rules or guidelines in baseball that must be enforced in order to keep the game fair and fun.
For official rules of the MLB visit this (pdf) for all guidelines-http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2014/official_baseball_rules.pdf
Illegal Actions- Most of these are just plain and simple you can't do that. An illegal action can be from a simple trip on a runner or a full on fist fight on the field. Obviously the consequences would vary but nice and simple illegal actions are just actions you can't do in a baseball game.
The Count & Outs- The count is the referral to how many balls and strikes a batter has while at bat. A batter can have a max of 3 strikes, 4 balls, and an infinite number of foul balls hit in foul territory until caught or struck out by a strike. That's pretty complicated but you can hit a foul ball and it will be counted as a strike but you can never get a 3rd strike with a foul ball. Now with 4 balls. A ball is when a pitcher throws the ball outside of the strike zone and the batter does not swing. You get a max of 4 balls, once that 4th ball is thrown, the batter is walked and goes to first base. Now outs! There are many ways to get outs, you can strike out when you get 3 strikes. You can pop fly out, that's when you hit a pop fly (ball straight up) and it's caught. You can ground out, you hit a ground ball and it is fielded and thrown to 1st base before you get there. Or you can be running to 2nd or 3rd and the ball is thrown to that base and you are tagged out. Lots of ways to get out(s) so just be alert!
People On The Field- There are many people on the field at a time, most of them on the team playing defense at the time. Really there are 3 types of people on the field at once. They are the Umps, Defensive Players, and The Batter. In a MLB game there are 4 umps each stationed at a base. Sometimes there can be six, the two stationed at left and right fields. They are there to officiate the game and keep it fair and fun. Next are the defensive players. For any baseball game there needs to be at least 9 players. Any less would be a hard ballgame to play. You can have more than 9 and is highly suggested encase of injury but most commonly for pitchers when they become fatigued so you can switch them in game. Then the batters. They stand in the batters box trying to hit a pitch thrown by the pitcher and score. If you would like to see the positions and a basic understanding of what they do click the orange link. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/on_the_field.js
Leagues- In baseball there are different leagues or levels. The higher the league the more difficult the game gets and the higher skill required. There are many different leagues in baseball almost all depending on age. There is little league which last till about 12-13 years old. Then theres junior league which is about 13-14. Next is senior league which is pretty much high school so about 15-18. Then once in college is college baseball. In college there is (A), (AA), (AAA), (AA) is the most common and widely known. It's where most prospects come from but it's very hard to get to the top. Most go to the minor leagues. The minor leagues is the level below the majors, it's almost the same but lower skill but not college. They make lower pay than the majors but are playing to get into the majors through draft or contract signing. The majors is the best of the best. The top skilled players go up there to make the big bucks to give there city that they play for a world series championship. Baseball has many levels of playing but all very exciting.
Rules- There are many rules or guidelines in baseball that must be enforced in order to keep the game fair and fun.
For official rules of the MLB visit this (pdf) for all guidelines-http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2014/official_baseball_rules.pdf
Illegal Actions- Most of these are just plain and simple you can't do that. An illegal action can be from a simple trip on a runner or a full on fist fight on the field. Obviously the consequences would vary but nice and simple illegal actions are just actions you can't do in a baseball game.
The Count & Outs- The count is the referral to how many balls and strikes a batter has while at bat. A batter can have a max of 3 strikes, 4 balls, and an infinite number of foul balls hit in foul territory until caught or struck out by a strike. That's pretty complicated but you can hit a foul ball and it will be counted as a strike but you can never get a 3rd strike with a foul ball. Now with 4 balls. A ball is when a pitcher throws the ball outside of the strike zone and the batter does not swing. You get a max of 4 balls, once that 4th ball is thrown, the batter is walked and goes to first base. Now outs! There are many ways to get outs, you can strike out when you get 3 strikes. You can pop fly out, that's when you hit a pop fly (ball straight up) and it's caught. You can ground out, you hit a ground ball and it is fielded and thrown to 1st base before you get there. Or you can be running to 2nd or 3rd and the ball is thrown to that base and you are tagged out. Lots of ways to get out(s) so just be alert!
People On The Field- There are many people on the field at a time, most of them on the team playing defense at the time. Really there are 3 types of people on the field at once. They are the Umps, Defensive Players, and The Batter. In a MLB game there are 4 umps each stationed at a base. Sometimes there can be six, the two stationed at left and right fields. They are there to officiate the game and keep it fair and fun. Next are the defensive players. For any baseball game there needs to be at least 9 players. Any less would be a hard ballgame to play. You can have more than 9 and is highly suggested encase of injury but most commonly for pitchers when they become fatigued so you can switch them in game. Then the batters. They stand in the batters box trying to hit a pitch thrown by the pitcher and score. If you would like to see the positions and a basic understanding of what they do click the orange link. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/on_the_field.js
Leagues- In baseball there are different leagues or levels. The higher the league the more difficult the game gets and the higher skill required. There are many different leagues in baseball almost all depending on age. There is little league which last till about 12-13 years old. Then theres junior league which is about 13-14. Next is senior league which is pretty much high school so about 15-18. Then once in college is college baseball. In college there is (A), (AA), (AAA), (AA) is the most common and widely known. It's where most prospects come from but it's very hard to get to the top. Most go to the minor leagues. The minor leagues is the level below the majors, it's almost the same but lower skill but not college. They make lower pay than the majors but are playing to get into the majors through draft or contract signing. The majors is the best of the best. The top skilled players go up there to make the big bucks to give there city that they play for a world series championship. Baseball has many levels of playing but all very exciting.
Click the orange box to read about all the equipment used in baseball.
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