Do you have the desire to learn how to play baseball successfully? Are you a casual or moderate baseball fan who only sometimes watches or listens to a professional baseball game but would like to know exactly how the game is played and governed by the standard rules? You will learn how to develop good baseball skills and techniques and you will learn how the game is played.
How Players Hone their Batting Skills
Major League baseball players hone their hitting skills by taking batting practice inside a batting cage before game time. They place a baseball on a tee to hit or let a machine feed them pitches. Players also get hitting tips from the hitting coach.
How to Hit a Pitch
To hit a fly ball, swing the bat toward the bottom edge of the ball as it comes toward the plate. To hit a line drive, swing the bat toward the middle of the ball. To hit a ground ball, swing the bat toward the top edge of the ball.
Where to Hit the Ball
You must try to hit the ball away from the fielders on the other team. When I played softball in my gym class as a high school senior, I always focused on hitting a hard line drive toward the middle of the infield. I got away with it the first time, lining it past the second baseman, but the next time he was there waiting for my line drive. I should have tried to hit the ball toward the third base side where there was a lot more open space.
What to do When You Hit the Ball
After you hit your pitch in fair territory, drop the bat instead of tossing it and run as hard as you can to first base.
How Players Hone their Pitching Skills
Pitchers in the Major Leagues practice by throwing pitches to the bullpen catcher in the bullpen under the observance of the main pitching coach or the bullpen pitching coach. Starting pitchers who pitch every five games usually throw a bullpen session two or three days after their last start. Pitchers sometimes pitch to hitters during batting practice and spring training. The pitching coach is usually a former pitcher or catcher.
How to Throw a Pitch
To throw a slider, throw the ball with your middle finger curved downward on the top part with your other fingers gripping the ball pointing straight. To throw a splitter, or split-fingered pitch, grip the ball with your second and third fingers around the top part. To throw a forkball, grip the ball with your second and fourth fingers around the top part. To throw a knuckleball, grip the ball with all four fingers curved downward on the top part and flip your wrist as you throw the ball.
How Players Hone their Fielding Skills
Players work on their fielding skills by engaging in drills in which a coach or someone else tosses a ball up and hits it toward them. The coaches help the players learn how to move, dive and catch ground balls, pop-ups and fly balls.
Sacrifice Flies and the Infield Fly Rule
When the batter hits a fly ball or pop-up, each base runner has to stand on his base when the ball is caught or go back to the base and touch it after the catch is made before he can advance a base. This rule also applies when a pitch is popped up on the infield and it is called the Infield Fly Rule. If a base runner does not tag up during or after the catch, the opposing players can throw the ball back to his base and he will be called out. Once an opposing fielder catches or drops the ball, the base runners are free to leave the base and run. A sacrifice fly is a run scored by the third base runner on a fly ball that is caught.
What is a Ground Rule Double?
When the batter hits a ball that bounces over the outfield wall or fence, he has to stop at second base on an official double and each runner already on base advances two bases.
How an Intentional Walk Works
When the manager wants the other team's batter to be walked without swinging the bat, he will hold up his four fingers to his catcher and his catcher will stand outside of the batter's box to catch four balls.
Sideline Safety
In addition to batters wearing a helmet, the first base coach and the third base coach should wear one too to be protected from a speedy line drive coming toward his head. Additionally, the base coaches and the batter waiting on deck should always be prepared to duck an incoming line drive.
Making a Pitching Change and Handling the Lineup
How long a manager will stick with his starting pitcher will depend on how many pitches he has thrown, how he is pitching, who he is pitching to later in the game, etc. The manager makes decisions on which reliever to pitch at any given time based on matchups and how much he has pitched recently. The manager uses similar guidelines when writing a lineup for his team before the game and handling pinch hitting decisions during the game.
Defensive Alignment
The manager and coaches sometimes tell a player where to stand based on who is batting and where he usually hits the ball.
How to Slide
You should slide toward a base with your feet because you will risk suffering an injury if you slide with your hands.
How to Block the Plate
When a base runner runs to home plate standing up, the catcher should quickly apply the tag and step aside to avoid a collision.
What Happens When the Batter Arrives at First Base at the Same Time the Ball is Caught at First Base?
Any tie goes to the runner.
How to Catch a Pop-up
The fielder closest to a ball hit in the air should take charge and yell, "I've got it!"
What Can Get a Player Ejected?
A player is likely to be ejected automatically if he argues a balls-and-strikes call or balk call. A balk occurs when the pitcher makes a bad or deceitful move while someone is on base. When a balk is called, each base runner advances a base. If the home plate umpire thinks a batter was hit intentionally, he can eject both the pitcher and his manager.
Extra Information
A regular game is played nine innings. The home team always bats during the latter half of an inning and only bats in the ninth inning if it is losing or the game is tied. If the score is tied after the ninth inning is played, the teams go into extra innings and play until the game is won.
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