Watching a baseball game in New York is a true cultural immersion in one of the most popular and traditional sports in the United States. Baseball is very successful for its simplicity and the dynamics of the game, which is busier than many people imagine.
Practiced by nine players on each side and basically with a ball, bat and gloves, the sport draws crowds to the stadiums and is very successful in New York. If you don’t know anything about the game and the rules, you can check the Mattingly baseball book. It explains the rules and importance of the baseball game. You can Check out here for more information.
In this post, I will detail all the information about the teams, game schedules and how to plan to watch a baseball match.
The objective of the game
Nine innings are played in a baseball game. An inning consists of two parts. In the first part, the away team gets to work and the home team is in the field. This is then exchanged. The team that scored the most points at the end of the nine innings wins the game. If it is tied, another inning is played. This continues until a team is in the lead at the end of an inning.
Composition of the team
A team consists of nine players. These occupy the following positions:
- Pitcher
- Catcher
- First baseman
- Second baseman
- Third baseman
- Shortstop
- Outfielder (3x)
Pitcher
The pitcher is the person who throws the ball at the batter. He tries to make it as difficult as possible for the batter, but he has to make sure that he throws in the batting zone to prevent players from going directly to first base.
Catcher
The catcher is behind the batter. The goal of the catcher is to catch the ball when the batter does not hit or misses. He is also the defender of the home base.
The first / second / third baseman
The purpose of the first, second and third baseman is to defend their base. They stay close to their base and they try to ensure that the riders don’t reach base by either burning them out or ticking them out.
Shortstop
The shortstop is responsible for stopping balls that are not hit far, but not directly to the first, second or third baseman. It is seen as one of the most difficult tasks because you often have to act very quickly.
Outfielders
There are a total of three outfielders scattered in the far-field. Their goal is to catch the ball or to catch it if it is hit far away and the other players can no longer reach it.
Hitting it
A team makes an order before the game in which the players are going to hit. They must adhere to this throughout the competition. When a batter is ready, the pitcher throws the ball. If it is thrown over the home base between the batter’s knee and shoulder height, it is a blow. If the ball is thrown outside this zone, it is wide. The goal of the batter is to hit when the ball is in the strike zone and to let the ball go when it is wide.
A batter is out when he is not on base after three hits. There is an exception to this. If a batter is hit twice, he can only take three hits if he misses the ball or does not hit. When he does hit the ball, but it does not end up in the field, it counts as an error stroke and the counter remains at two strokes. When the pitcher has walked wide four times, the batter is allowed to go directly to first base. If the player hits the ball in the field, he tries to run to first base as quickly as possible.
Is he there before the first baseman (or someone else) has touched the base while he has the ball, he is on time and he is in. If he’s late, he’s out. A batter is also out when the ball he hits is caught. Of course, a player may also run further than first base when he has hit very well. A batter is also out when the ball he hits is caught. Of course, a player may also run further than first base when he has hit very well. A batter is also out when the ball he hits is caught. Of course, a player may also run further than first base when he has hit very well.
Run between the bases
If a player hits a single or has walked, he stands on a base after his at-bat. Next is the next batter. Now there are two options. The rider has a forced run, or this is not the case.
The forced walk
A rider has a forced run when another player has to take over in a single. The easiest example is when you are at first base. When the batter reaches first base, you are no longer allowed to stand there. So you are forced to run to second base at least. The same applies if you are on second base and someone else is already on first base. You then have to run to third base. If you are at second base and there is no one at first base, you have no forced walk and you may, therefore, choose to remain standing when the ball is hit in the field.
If a player has a forced run, he can be burned out. That means that a fielder with the ball in hand touches the base before the rider has reached base. Will he succeed this is the rider. If a player does not have a forced run, he cannot be burned out. The only way to get it out is by tapping it with the ball, or with the hand that holds the ball.
The flyout
When a ball is caught, the batter is out. Everyone who was on base then has to go back to the base he was on before the batter had hit. This is a forced run, so the player can be burned out if he does not return to the base where he came from in time. That is why it is wise to stay close to base if you expect the ball to be caught. As soon as the ball is caught, the riders can start running. They can try to reach the next base after the flyout has been made.
This loop is not forced and a player can only go out by being tagged with the ball. This often happens when a player is at third base and a far ball is hit and caught. The player on third base waits for the flyout to be made and then runs to the home base to score.
Stealing bases
Baseball is a game that never lights quietly. A player on a base can, therefore, start running at any time and try to reach the next base. This loop is not forced and therefore the player must be tapped with the ball to go out. Of course, it is not wise to run at any given moment, but players are always a bit away from the base towards the next base.
A player can attempt to steal a base by running as soon as the pitcher has started throwing to the batter. Even if the batter misses, the catcher then still has to throw the ball to the base and the rider still has to be tagged. If the rider has already reached base before that, he has stolen the base.
Switch side
The teams change sides when three players have gone out in the inning. The field team then becomes the batting team and vice versa.
The designated batter
The designated hitter is a rule that is used in some competitions. If this rule applies, a team may designate a player to hit instead of the pitcher. In such a case, a team consists of ten players. The reason to use this rule is that pitching is a specialty and that many pitchers can hit very badly because they don’t train that much. The designated batter is often a player who can hit very well but is not such a good fielder.