Baseball is a beloved sport that has been around for centuries. It is a great way to get kids active and have fun. But before you can start playing, it is important to understand the basic rules of the game. The five most important rules of baseball are balls and hits, tagging, forced outs, tag outs, and the lineup of nine allowed players.
When it comes to balls and hits, the visiting team bats the first half (or top) of each inning and the home team bats the second half (or bottom). A grand slam is a home run with the bases loaded (runners at each base). A double play is when two players come out on the same play. When it comes to tagging, a player cannot remove his helmet while batting or running for the bases.
If the referee knows that a batsman is batting out of order, he can declare him out. A first offense receives a warning from the referee and a second violation causes the player to be sent off. Forced outs occur when a ball is thrown out of play or hit out of play. Anything that's in foul territory, if it's still in play, can get stuck in the air; these batted balls can still become an out.
But if it hits the ground in dirty territory, it is considered an out. There is also a territory that we call “out of play”, which is also a territory of fault, but gardeners cannot go there. Tag outs occur when the ball is hit in the air. Runners can't keep running as long as they want, but instead they have to go back to the base and retouch before they advance to the next base.
Home runs hit over the field fence in the air or like a home run “inside the park”, which is when the ball stays in play but doesn't go over the fence, are also considered tag outs. The lineup of nine allowed players is also an important rule in baseball. If you have a child with special needs, you should look for a Miracle League in your area. This incredible organization adapts the basic rules of baseball so that everyone can participate in accordance with its motto: All children deserve the opportunity to play baseball.
If an outfielder only has time to take one out, it makes sense that he would serve second at second base instead of me, the first baseman, on the chart above. This is called taking out the “first finalist”. Or, you can catch a ball hit in the air and you can bend a runner from the base without going back in time. Or, any combination of outs can be made: runners can be scored, thrown out, or even a double “strikeout” play can be made and expelled. At the most basic level, the thrower throws the ball at the receiver and the batter swings his bat and tries to hit him.
The goal of defense in baseball is to close the inning without allowing the other team to score runs. The goal of a baseball game, or how one team wins, is to get more runs than the other team over nine innings. Depending on your number of players, skill level, available equipment or size of your playing area, you can modify these basic rules of baseball to suit your needs. For more information on strike zones and other rules related to baseball, feel free to read my other articles. Keep getting your young baseball players started in this sport by helping them select the right bat and keep track of their batting order on their bench so they know when it's their turn.
