1. The Field

• Dimensions: A baseball field consists of a diamond-shaped infield and an outfield. The distance between each base is 90 feet. The pitcher's mound is 60 feet 6 inches from home plate. The outfield dimensions can vary but generally range from 300 to 400 feet from home plate.
• Infield and Outfield: The infield includes the four bases, pitcher's mound, and the grass or dirt area within the baselines. The outfield extends beyond the infield and is typically covered in grass.

2. Equipment

• Ball: A baseball is about 9 inches in circumference, weighing approximately 5 ounces.
• Bat: The bat must be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length.
• Gloves: Players wear leather gloves that vary in size depending on their position.
• Uniforms: Players wear team uniforms, which include a cap, jersey, pants, and cleats.

3. The Game Structure

• Innings: A standard game consists of nine innings. Each inning is divided into two halves: the top (away team bats) and the bottom (home team bats).
• Teams: Each team has nine players on the field at a time, taking turns playing offense (batting) and defense (fielding).

4. Gameplay

• Pitching: The pitcher throws the ball to the batter from the pitcher's mound. The goal is to get the batter out through strikes or inducing hits that can be fielded.
• Batting: The batter attempts to hit the pitched ball into play to reach base. If the ball is hit out of the park in fair territory, it is a home run.
• Base Running: After hitting the ball, the batter becomes a base runner and tries to advance to as many bases as possible without being put out.
• Fielding: The defensive team's objective is to prevent base runners from advancing and to get three outs to end the inning.

5. Scoring

• Runs are scored when a player successfully reaches home plate after touching all four bases in sequence. The team with the most runs at the end of nine innings wins the game. If the score is tied, extra innings are played until a winner is determined.

6. Outs

• A batter can be out by a strikeout (three strikes), a fly out (catching a hit ball before it touches the ground), a ground out (fielding a hit ball and throwing to first base before the runner arrives), or other defensive plays.
• Base runners can be out by being tagged with the ball, forced out (fielder holding the ball touches a base before the runner arrives), or caught stealing.

7. Special Plays and Rules

• Double Play: When two offensive players are put out in one continuous play.
• Balk: An illegal motion by the pitcher with runners on base, resulting in all base runners advancing one base.
• Designated Hitter (DH): In the American League, a player bats in place of the pitcher but does not play in the field.

8. Umpires

• Umpires enforce the rules, make judgment calls, and ensure the game is played fairly. They have the authority to eject players or managers for misconduct.

9. Substitutions

• Teams can substitute players during the game, but once a player is removed, they cannot return to the game. Pitching changes can be made at any time but must be declared to the umpire.

10. Official Scoring

• The official scorer records the events of the game, such as hits, errors, and runs, and determines the winning and losing pitchers. 먹튀검증