Quick Rules To Learn Baseball As Players

For an outsider looking in, baseball can look very complicated especially so after seeing disputes and shouting matches within a professional game. To learn baseball intuitively, one must view it first as part of the audience.

Audience view

For the layman, the object of the game is for the teams to actually make more runs than their opponents. (A run is making it safely through all the bases.) 

Anybody who has the ball can tag you out if you are not in your rightful base plate. The pitcher will use all his powers to strike you out of the game.

Players view

Young baseball players usually start out by watching the sport first. Later, they will try out with a team and play the game.

However, the coaches are the ones who will make sure these youngsters will understand rules thoroughly. The following are some of the important ones. 

Strike zone

The batter should know how to assess and cover the entire strike zone. This is a delicate subject because this varies from umpire to umpire. 

Basically, however, the strike zone is the space over the home plate between the batter’s shoulders and the top of his knees (when he is at his natural positional stance).

Fair ball

A ball that had been batted is considered fair ball if it lands in the field of play. It is still a fair ball if it touches or passes first or third base within fair territory.

The big point is to simply run hard enough to first base when you hit the baseball.

Three strikes

A batter is out if the catcher catches a third strike during an “at bat” position. However, if the catcher drops the third strike, or the ball gets past by, and there is no base runner at first base, then the batter can run to the first base and try to arrive there safely before the catcher throws the ball there.

Tie goes to the runner

Put simply, the umpire is the ultimate judge whether the base runner is safe or out. If the runner arrives at a base at the same instance the fielder catches the ball, the runner is considered safe.

Base running

Running the bases is probably the most fun in baseball. However, there are many rules regarding base running.

A runner has to touch all the bases going around the infield. He has to touch first, second, third and then the home plate before he can score a run. (He has to go back to that plate if he misses touching them.)

He cannot pass a fellow runner in front of him. 

Tagging out

A fielder must touch a runner to tag him out, either with the ball or his glove when the ball is in. He cannot tag the runner with his glove but has the ball in his other hand.

Sportsmanship

Umpires make the decisions and can disqualify anybody for good reason. Players do not argue balls or strikes. Respect for umpires, coaches and players must be up at all times. This tops everything in your drills and skills.

All in all, to learn baseball is actually being able to follow rules and play them – no arguments and questions, but just to have fun.
