Probably today everyone knows that baseball is a game extremely popular in the USA. Many films are devoted to him, and in thousands of ordinary films that are not related to sports in any way, there are references to him. It is not surprising that many people would like to learn the rules of baseball and in general about everything related to it.
Game history
To begin with, although baseball is an American game, it cannot be called a local invention. In many European countries there are analogues with similar rules, and much older. For example, in France there is a manuscript dated to the middle of the fourteenth century, telling about a very similar game - la soule. In Romania, they also play a similar game - oina. In England it is called cricket. And in Finland - pesapolo. And, of course, Russian baseball is familiar to everyone - a good old bast shoe, which, unfortunately, is now almost forgotten in big cities.
In the United States, the game appeared much later - around the beginning of the nineteenth century. The first printed record is dated 1829. It was then that the "Modern Book of the Boy" was published, which described everything that a boy of that time should know and be able to. Among other things, baseball rules were mentioned there. Of course, they were very different from modern ones and were much simpler.
But the creator of the popular American variety is unknown. For a long time, authorship was attributed to a certain Ebner Doubleday, who lived in the small town of Cooperstown. But today, many researchers claim that such a person has never even lived here.
But the compiler of the code is established. This is New Yorker Alexander Cartwright. It happened in 1845. The rules were quickly recognized by experts and in June 1946 the first game was held, held with the rules of Cartwright.
The first game, where the participants were not just amateurs, but professional players who received money for the game, was held in Cincinnati in 1869. Perhaps it was here that the first bets on baseball were made, although it is impossible to say with certainty.
Baseball field
In general, a baseball field is a rather large plot of land; its area is a whole hectare. And for children's baseball, the area is reduced by a third. The field is a kind of right-angled triangle, the hypotenuse of which is not a straight line, but a rounded one.
But most of the game takes place on a relatively small square site, occupying less than a third of the entire field - near a right angle. This site is called infield. In the center of the site is a slight elevation - a pitcher hill. The standard height is 45 centimeters, but for children’s games it’s less - only 25. Four bases are located on the tops of the square: home, first, second and third. The entire field outside this square is called outfield.
The distance between the bases is 90 feet, or 27.5 meters. And the distance from the home base to the pitcher’s site is 18 meters, or 60.5 feet.
Around the home base there is a catcher area. And to the left and right of the home base - the zone for the batter. The player himself chooses the one that suits him, depending on whether he is left-handed or right-handed.
Most of the field is closed by the lawn. The only exceptions are the bases themselves and the corridors between them, as well as the pitcher’s slide. Field boundaries are indicated by white ground chalk. The entire territory inside the lines is called fair, and the rest is called a foul. The first, second and third bases are indicated by white squares made of soft material. Mounted on the ground with the help of special pegs.
Command structure
A very important step in learning the rules of baseball is to familiarize yourself with the roles of the players. Each of the nine team members must throw the ball well, beat it well and run fast. After all, the roles are constantly changing so that each of the players is involved. As a result, players in baseball, although they may have a certain specialization, must nevertheless be able to cope with different roles. In addition, teams alternately play in defense or defense, which will further expand the list of skills that all team members should possess.
But the captain of the baseball team as such is not here. The game is completely team and democratic - all are absolutely equal.
There are several shift jobs in the game.
The pitcher is the most important player on the team. He stands in the center of the infield and throws the ball. Must have a solid hand and a good eye. Yes, the name sounds exactly the pitcher from the English term pither - serving. Experienced fans often tease newcomers with the question: “How many pinschers are there in baseball?” And when they get the answer, they make the neophytes laugh, quite rightly noting that the Pinschers are a breed of dogs, and not at all serving in the game. So remember: baseball-based pinchers have no place. Only pitchers play here.
Catcher - located on the site behind the home base. He must catch the ball thrown by the pitcher if the batter doesn't hit him.
Now, in fact, the batter is a batter or a batter. This player is considered one of the most important figures in the baseball team. His main task is to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher.
Runner is running. The batter turns into it, if you manage to hit the ball. It is necessary to run to first base, and with a good deal, further.
Reliver or Religious Pitcher. In fact, this is a spare pitcher. He replaces the main one in case he was injured, tired or cannot play at full strength for any other reason.
Closer or closure is another type of pitcher. Most often, he will be taken to the field only at the very end of the game in order to throw the ball with new forces, not allowing the opponent to circumvent the team on points.
Having reached the first base, the batter becomes a player of the first base. Then - the second base and so on.
Purpose of the game
The goal of a baseball game is to set the maximum number of points. You can get them when you run through the bases. To do this, a player - a runner who has recently been a batter - needs to run from the home base for all three others and return to the original. In this case, the team receives one point.
Of course, this is very difficult to do - the players of the opposing team are doing everything possible to prevent the runner. We will talk about this a bit later.
Game progress
In general, each game is primarily a duel between the pitcher and the batter. The remaining players are more likely to play a supporting role. So, how is the game going.
It all starts with the fact that the pitcher, having chosen the right moment, throws the ball, usually darting into the glove of the catcher, who is trying to catch him. If you manage to crank this operation up three times, then the batter receives three strikes and is eliminated from the game. If the batter did not hit the ball, but the catcher could not catch it, the batter has the right to run to first base. At the same time, players from the first, second and third base also move forward. As a result, the player from the third base is at home base.
But most often the batter manages to beat off at least one of the three throws. In this case, the ball flies away - when more successfully, when less. And the batter runs to the base. However, the players of the opposing team are not asleep. They try to catch the ball. If you manage to do this in flight, the judge announces a fly-out. The batter is eliminated from the game, and players who rushed to the other bases with all their might return to their original positions. If the ball is not caught, but picked up, it is usually thrown to players on duty at the base. He catches him in a special glove-trap and must touch it (namely with it, and not just with his hand with the ball) to the runner who tried to occupy the base he is guarding. In some cases, when the runner sees that the ball has flown far away or has been unsuccessfully thrown (or caught) by the opponent, then it may run not one base, but two or even three! However, this happens very rarely. Finally, when the former batter reaches the home base and is not trapped in the ball trap, the team receives a point.
According to the rules, the home team on the field begins to play defense. Therefore, the last inning also plays in defense, getting the last opportunity to earn a point and win, or at least draw. Of course, at this time the main bets on baseball are made, and the game itself becomes the most intense.
Key Terms
Above the reader could meet many obscure terms. And during the games or just in discussion with other fans I do not want to be recognized as a beginner. Therefore, it will be useful to learn a few terms of a baseball game in order to better understand the issue:
- Inning - period in a baseball game. There are no time limits here - it all depends on the game of athletes. It lasts until each team plays in defense and defense.
- Ran is the point that players in the offensive team earned. Some newcomers incorrectly call it a goal. The point, of course, is the same. But still it’s right to call it a wound, from the English run - “run”. After all, no one scores the ball anywhere, and the team receives a point when the runner visits three bases and returns to the house.
- A strike zone is a space located directly above a house or home base. It is determined visually - in height it is between the torso of the batter and its knee. This is where the pitcher marks the ball. The special judge makes sure that the ball is thrown here - not higher and not lower.
- A ball is just the case when the server throws the ball out of the strike zone. It is considered a gross violation. Cases when the ball first hits the ground and then flies through the strike zone are also considered a ball.
- Foul or, if you say correctly, a foul - a blow in which a ball hit by a batter rolls over the side line or flies behind it between the house and the neighboring base - the first or third. It can be counted as a strike, but only if before that the pitcher made less than two strikes.
- Out - the current situation, as well as the referee's team, showing that the player from the team playing in the attack is withdrawn from the game. There are different ways to get out. For example, when a batter receives three strikes in a row. This also includes the previously mentioned fly-out. The tag-out is counted when a player touches the runner not with a ball trap, but with his bare hand or just a ball without a trap. Finally, force out. This is the name of the situation when the runner did not have time to reach the base, and the defense player already occupied it, holding a trap with the ball in his hands.
- A hit is a hit in which the batter could reach the first base. In those cases when this was made possible thanks to the error of the players from the defending team (they unsuccessfully throw the ball or do not catch it), the hit does not go to statistics, but the defense team gets an error.
- Ampair is one of the four days that monitor four bases, so as not to miss the moment when the player of the defending company pours the runner.
Inventory for the game
A successful baseball game doesn’t need a lot of equipment. Especially if you discard the form - amateurs often do not spend time and money on its purchase or manufacture.
First of all, you need a bit. It can be made of both wood and aluminum - it depends on the preferences of the players, as well as mutual agreement.
In addition, you need a baseball. Extremely stringent requirements are imposed on him. One of them is weight. It should be between 5 and 5.25 ounces (142-149 grams). The circumference should be 9–9.25 inches (22.8 to 23.5 centimeters). The ball itself is covered with white skin on top and has red stitches.
Finally, special trap gloves. The team needs at least five pieces - one for each player at the base, one catcher and one outfielder who can carry out a fly-out, which means that they must have reliable hand protection.
That's all - as you can see, equipment needs only the simplest and fewest.
Types of feeds
The pitcher must choose a suitable punch so that the batter cannot hit the ball, but the catcher easily caught it. In total, there are several types of serving, each with certain pros and cons. Consider them:
- Fastball is the most common throw. The ball just throws right at maximum speed.
- A slider is a more complex serve, in which the ball deviates slightly down and to the side at medium speed.
- Kerv (aka kerbbol) is a twisted pitch, a bit like a slider, but at the same time capable of abruptly going down right in front of a batter. Served slower, but at the same time with a powerful rotation.
- Knuckleball is a direct serve, in which the ball almost does not spin, but the flight path gets a chaotic displacement. Today, almost never used in baseball.
- Finally, the chang-up. The feed is direct, but the speed is variable. The hand goes in such a way that it creates the illusion of fastball, but at the same time the speed of the ball is less - about 13-20 kilometers per hour. Because of this, the batter often misses, misunderstanding the intention of the pitcher. And the catcher’s task is much easier - catching a slowly flying ball is much easier than catching a fast one.
Baseball in Russia
This is not to say that baseball is very popular in our country. However, the Russian national baseball team still exists. She appeared in 1993 and plays to this day.
True, it cannot be said that she has achieved great success. Perhaps the only really serious achievement was silver taken at the 2001 European Championships, which took place in Germany. Before and after this, the team did not occupy the most prestigious places - as a rule, from 4 to 12.
Nevertheless, the national team exists quite officially. It is registered in the World Baseball Federation, whose headquarters are in Switzerland, and has the right to participate in major competitions along with other teams from 145 countries.
Conclusion
On this article comes to an end. After reading it, every player, even completely ignorant of baseball, will be able to understand the basic rules and the course of the game. So, she can delve into complex rules and numerous nuances, becoming a true expert.