Step Up to the Plate

Rules of baseball vary slightly from league to league, with dozens of leagues worldwide, but most professional leagues have common rules such as 4 balls is a Base on balls, 3 strikes is a strikeout and 3 outs ends a half inning.

The "Official Baseball Rules" govern all professional play in the United States and Canada, including the World Baseball Classic.

Other slightly modified versions of the "Official Baseball Rules" are used in competitions operated by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), including the Olympics, World Cup, and WBSC Premier 12, most leagues outside North America, and youth baseball organizations such as Little League, PONY League, and Cal Ripken League.

The baseball rulebook of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), aside from governing the games of that organization's members, is also used by several other competitions involving college-aged players.

U.S. high school and high school-age baseball is governed by the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Unlike many other sports, the Official Baseball Rules have remained mainly static during the modern era of the game.

The game as we know it today really began to take shape only in the late 1880s, and even after that, many significant rule changes were made during the rest of that century.

Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get three members of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field and wait for his next turn at bat.

The squad in the field is the defensive team; they attempt to prevent the baserunners from scoring. There are nine defensive positions, but only two have a mandatory location (pitcher and catcher).

The battery is composed of the pitcher, who stands on the rubber of the mound, which is also known as the pitching plate, and the catcher, who squats behind home plate.

The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward home plate with the goal of getting the batter out. Pitchers also play defense by fielding batted balls, covering bases, or backing up throws.Overview of Baseball Positions and Strategies

• Baseball involves two teams, with one team on offense and the other on defense.

• The defensive team has nine players on the field, each with a specific position and role to play.

• The pitcher is responsible for throwing the ball to the batter and trying to get him out.

• The catcher catches the pitcher's throws and helps plan the game strategy.

• The four infielders are the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman, with each covering a specific area of the field and making plays to get batters out.

• The three outfielders are the left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder, with each covering a specific area of the field and backing up their teammates.

• Effective pitching is critical to the defensive team's success, with pitchers throwing different types of pitches to keep batters guessing.

• Defensive strategies include playing for the bunt, preventing stolen bases, and moving fielders to locations where hitters are most likely to hit the ball.

• The offensive team sends its nine players to bat in a predetermined order, with the ultimate goal of scoring runs.

• Batters can advance to first base in several ways, including getting a hit or a walk, being hit by a pitch, or reaching on an error.

• Once a batter hits the ball, he must run to first base and may continue or stop at any base unless he is put out.

• A successful hit allows the batter to reach one or more bases, with a home run being the ultimate goal.

• Different types of batted balls include fly balls, ground balls, pop-ups, line drives, and bloopers.

• Foul balls require the batter and runners to return to their bases, and a runner who reaches home plate scores a run and is no longer a base runner.Overview of Baseball Rules and Strategies

• Baseball is a team sport played with a ball and bat, with the objective of scoring runs by hitting the ball and running around four bases arranged in a square shape.

• The game is played by two teams of nine players each, with one team playing defense and the other offense.

• In each inning, both teams take turns playing offense and defense, with the team on offense trying to score runs and the team on defense trying to prevent them.

• The game is won by the team with the most runs at the end of nine innings, with extra innings played if the game is tied.

• The pitcher throws the ball towards home plate while the batter is standing in the batter's box, and the batter must decide whether to swing the bat at the ball in an attempt to hit it.

• If the batter swings and misses, he is charged with a strike, and if the ball passes through the strike zone without being swung at, it is called a ball.

• A batter who hits the ball and reaches first base safely becomes a runner and can attempt to advance to the next base.

• The goal of each batter is to become a base runner himself or to help move other base runners along, and batters attempt to "read" pitchers and the count to make strategic decisions.

• Base runners must beat the ball to the bag to be safe, and can attempt to advance from base to base at any time except when the ball is dead.

• A runner is considered "forced out" when all previous bases are occupied and a batted ball that touches the ground is a fair ball.

• Baserunners may attempt to advance, or steal a base, while the pitcher is preparing to make a pitch, while he is making a pitch, or while waiting for a return throw from the catcher after a pitch.

• A major strategy in batting at competitive levels of baseball is patient hitting, and base running requires good judgment by runners to assess the risk in attempting to advance.

• The game is won by the team with the most runs at the end of nine innings, with extra innings played if the game is tied.Baseball Game Rules and Regulations

• Baseball games consist of two teams, with nine players each.

• A standard game lasts nine innings, with the visiting team batting before the home team.

• If the home team is ahead when the middle of the last inning is reached, it is declared the winner, and the last half-inning is not played.

• If both teams have scored the same number of runs at the end of a regular-length game, a tie is avoided by the addition of extra innings.

• In Major League Baseball, games end with tie scores only in rare cases when conditions make it impossible to continue play.

• Each team is allowed to substitute for any player at any time the ball is dead.

• Any replacement is a permanent substitution; the replaced player may not return to the game under any circumstances.

• Pitchers are relatively poor hitters, so most pitchers are substituted when they are due to bat.

• Many leagues allow designated hitters, notably Major League Baseball's American League.

• The number of players on a major league roster is dictated by the labor agreements worked out between players and management.

• Rule changes have been implemented at different levels of baseball to quicken the pace of play.

• Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of Baseball, instituted rule changes to MLB before the start of the 2015 MLB season to address the pace of the game.