As a year one student you play a simplified game of baseball called T-Ball. In this game there’s no pitcher. Instead you hit the ball from a standard called the “T”.
The batter’s objective is to reach base and eventually score. A runner advances at his own risk around the bases. The team scores a run (point) when a player safely touches first, second, third and home base before three outs are made.
A run can be scored in stages, the batter does not have to get around all bases in one hit. If he does it’s called a “ home run”.
The fielder’s objective is to prevent the runner to reach base. If the fielding team makes 3 outs, they become batting team and can try to reach base and score runs.
When both teams have had their turn at batting an inning is completed. A match consists of 7 innings.
The Batter
Batting from a batting-tee
The batter tries to hit the ball from the batting tee into fair territory of the field. If he succeeds he tries to reach first base.
What is fair territory?
What is a fair (good) hit?
A hit is fair if the ball lands in fair territory, and doesn’t roll into foul territory before first or third base.
Some examples:
An out can be recorded in 4 different ways:
1. Strikeout: when the batter misses the ball three times.
• If the ball is hit into fair territory, but the tee falls over, the hit is considered a foul ball.
• A foul ball is considered a strike.
• A foul ball is never considered a strikeout.
2. Force-out: when the ball reaches first base before the batter/runner.
3. Tag-out: when the batter/runner gets tagged before he reaches first base.
4. Fly-out: when the ball gets caught before hitting the ground.
• If the ball is caught in foul territory the batter is considered Fly-out.
Some examples:
The base runner
A batter becomes base runner after a hit into fair territory.
There is only one base runner allowed on a base. It is prohibited to overtake another base runner.
Because of this you must pay attention to what the batter after you is doing.
If you are a runner on first base and the batter after you hits the ball, he automatically gets rewarded first base. As an effect of this, you are forced to run to second base.
This is called a forced-run.
In this situation you can be forced out, if the fielding team delivers the ball to second base before you reach it. In every other situation the runner must be tagged-out. Of course you can get tagged-out in a forced-run also.
In case of a fly-out the base-runner is not allowed to proceed to the next base, he must return to the base he started from.
In case of a foul-hit the base-runner must also return to the base he started from.
When is the base-runner considered an out?
1. If he gets tagged when not touching a base. Exception is first base, you are allowed to run past it in a straight line, and make a u-turn to the right, and return to first base. If you turn left you are considered to try to reach second base and therefore can be tagged out.
2. If he gets forced-out during a forced-run.
- If he leaves his running track in an attempt to avoid being tagged-out.
Score points.
To score a run the base-runner must successively reach first-, second-, third- and home-base. If he succeeds without being tagged, or forced-out, he has scored a run.
It can occur that a point isn’t awarded, that is if at the same time the third out is being made.
