Western Piedmont Baseball

Rule 2 Playing Terms and Definitions Western Piedmont Baseball

Rule 2Awarded Bases, Balk, Ball, Base on Balls, Intentional Base on Balls • Award: The right to advance without a play being made. Responsibility of runner to touch the bases. • Balk: Illegal act committed by pitcher with runner(s) on base which entitles runner(s) to advance. • Ball: A pitch which is not touched by the bat and is not a strike. • Base on Balls: Award of first base if batter receives four balls. Batter must go to first before time is called. • Intentional Base on Balls: May be given by defense by having catcher or coach request that the umpire award the batter first base. May be done on any count. Ball is dead.

Rule 2Fair Ball, Base Hit • Fair Ball: Batted ball which settles on fair territory between home and first or home and third; is on or over fair ground when bounding past first or third; first hits on fair ground beyond first or third; touches first, second or third base; while on or over fair territory, touches a player or umpire, his equipment or his clothing; while over fair territory goes out of the playing field in flight (home run). • Base Hit: Enables the batter to advance to first without being put out.

Rule 2Batted Ball, Batter, Batter’s Box, Batter-Runner • Batted Ball: In flight until is touches the ground or some object other than a fielder. (Fly ball, line drive, ground ball). • Batter: Player of team at bat entitled to occupy one of the batter’s boxes. • Batter’s box: 4 x 6 feet area in which the batter stands; lines are part of the box. • Batter-Runner: Player who has finished time at bat until he is put out or playing action ends.

Rule 2Bunt, Catch, Catcher, Catcher’s Box • Bunt: Batter does not swing, but holds bat in path of ball to tap it to the infield; If foul with two strikes, batter is out. • Catch: Act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a live ball in flight and firmly holding it; cannot use cap, protector, mask, pocket or other part of uniform to trap ball; not completed until the continuing action of the catch is completed, i.e., run into a wall, another player, or travels many steps and drops the ball; touches ball then hits offense or umpire then caught (not deemed to have made catch).

Rule 2Catch, Catcher, Catcher’s Box, Conferences • Catch: Removing ball from glove indicates catch is completed. • Catcher: Player to whom pitcher throws when delivering to batter. • Catcher’s Box: 43 inches x 8 feet area where catcher must stand or squat at time of pitch. • Conferences: Meeting which involves coach or rep and player(s) (Offensive & Defensive) Pre-game: Meeting between umpires and coaches near home plate; players remain in dugout.

Rule 2Dead Ball, Error, Fielder, Fielder’s Choice • See Table in Rule 5 page 35. • Error: Misplay by a fielder recorded in error column of official score; balk, wild pitch, hit by pitch and passed ball are not errors. • Fielder: Nine players on defense (outfielders, infielders, pitcher, catcher). • Fielder’s Choice: Act of a fielder with a live ball who elects to throw for an attempted putout or to retire unassisted any runner or batter-runner, while other runner(s) advances.

Rule 2Foul, Foul Tip, Game, Called Game, Forfeited Game, Suspended Game • Foul: Not fair; any ball inadvertently ruled foul by umpire. • Foul Tip: Batted ball that goes directly into catcher’s hands and is legally caught by the catcher; strike and ball is in play. • Game: Seven innings unless shortened by weather, darkness, 10-run rule, mutual agreement; unless lengthened by extra innings. • Called Game: Ended by order of UIC. • Forfeited Game: Awarded to opponent of offending team. • Suspended Game: Called game to be completed later.

Rule 2 Illegal Pitch, Infield Fly, Innings • Illegal Pitch: Illegal act committed by pitcher with no runners on base; results in ball to batter. • Infield Fly: Fair fly (not line drive or bunt) which can be caught by infielder (or outfielder) with ordinary effort with less than two outs and runners on first and second or bases loaded; umpire announces for runners benefit, “if fair” when near foul line. • Innings: Portion of the game which includes time at bat for each team; half-inning: time when one team is on offense and other is on defense; extra inning: extends the game to break tie.

Rule 2Interference • Offensive Interference: Act (physical or verbal) by team at bat which interferes, obstructs, impedes, hinders, or confuses fielder making play, or when a runner creates malicious contact with any fielder, with or without the ball, in or out of the baseline, or a coach physically assists a runner during play. • Umpire Interference: Hinders a catcher’s attempt to throw or when a fair ball touches as in 5-1-1f or thrown ball as in 5-1-1g. • Spectator Interference: Act by spectator which impedes the game.

Rule 2Obstruction • Obstruction: Act (physical or verbal, intentional or unintentional) by a fielder or any member of the defensive team or its personnel that hinders a runner or changes the pattern of play, or when the catcher or fielder hinders a batter • Ball is dead at the end of playing action and umpire determines which bases will be awarded • Fake tag is considered obstruction • Fielder without possession of ball who denies access to base runner is attempting to achieve.

Rule 2On-Deck Circle, Out • On-Deck Circle: 5 feet in diameter located 37 feet to side and away from home plate, if possible. • Out: One of the three required retirements of players of team at bat; Putout: Act of a fielder in retiring a batter or runner; Force-Out: putout when a runner who is forced to advance is tagged or is putout by fielder holding ball while touching base; Tag Out: Putout of runner/batter-runner who is not in contact with a base when touched by live ball or with the glove or hand when live ball is held therein by fielder; Throw Out: Putout caused by throw to first by fielder to retire batter-runner or any other base which a runner is forced or required to retouch; Strikeout: Third strike charged to batter, unless not caught.

Rule 2Overrunning, Oversliding, Passed Ball, Penalty • Overrunning/Oversliding: Act by a runner who allows his momentum to carry him past a base so that he loses contact with it; batter-runner has the right to overrun first. • Passed Ball: A pitch which the catcher fails to stop or control, which he should have done with ordinary effort, and a runner/batter-runner advances. • Penalty: Action taken by umpire against a player, coach, or team for a rule violation.

Rule 2Pitcher, Pitch, Time of Pitch • Pitcher: Player who delivers ball to batter. • Pitch: A live ball delivered to the batter; illegal pitch and balk are not pitches because ball became dead at time of infraction. • Time of Pitch: When the pitcher has committed to delivering pitch to batter; Windup: movement of arms or legs after stepping onto rubber with hands together in front of body, both hands at his side or either hand in front of body and other hand at his side or behind him; Set: movement with arms or legs after coming to complete and discernible stop that commits him to pitch.

Rule 2Pitch Ends, Feint, Pivot Foot, Play • Pitch Ends: When pitched ball is secured by catcher, comes to rest, goes out of play, becomes dead, or the batter hits the ball (except foul tip). • Feint: movement which simulates the start of a pitch or throw to a base. • Pivot Foot: Foot with which pitcher contacts rubber. • Play: Action which begins when pitcher has ball in pitching position and ends when ball becomes dead or pitcher has ball again in pitching position; order given by umpire to begin or resume play; defensive appeal is not a play.

Rule 2Double Play, Force Play • Double Play: Play which results in two putouts. • Force Play: Play in which a runner(s) loses his right to the base he occupies and is forced to advance; force play remains when a runner advances beyond a base to which he is forced without touching it; force play ends when a runner touches the next base, following runner is put out at a previous base; force play is reinstated when a runner retreats past the base to which he was forced.

Rule 2Play Ruling, Squeeze Play, Run, Runner • Play Ruling: Statement of a play situation and the correct ruling. • Squeeze Play: Play in which a runner advances toward home from third as the ball is pitched and the batter bunts to permit runner to score. • Run: Legal score made by runner by touching home. • Runner: Player of team at bat who has completed time at bat but not yet been put out; includes batter-runner and runners on base.

Rule 2Retired Runner, Sacrifice, Slide • Retired Runner: Player of team at bat who has been put out or who has scored and is in live ball territory. • Sacrifice: Bunt which enables any runner to advance; fly ball which enables runner to score provided less than two outs and no error is made. • Slide: Legally can be feet or head first; if feet first, one leg and buttock must be on ground; must be within reach of base with hand or foot; runner may slide or run away from fielder to avoid contact or altering play.

Rule 2Illegal Slide, Speed-up Rules • Illegal Slide: Runner uses rolling, cross-body or pop-up slide into fielder; raised leg is higher than fielder’s knee when standing; goes beyond base and makes contact with or alters the play of fielder; slashes or kicks the fielder; tries to injure the fielder; on a force play, does not slide on the ground and in a direct line between the bases. • Speed-up Rules: State association adoption of rule modifications to speed up the game (courtesy runners, after putouts).

Rule 2Stolen Base, Double/Triple Steal, Strike Zone • Stolen Base: Advance of a runner to the next base without aid of a hit, putout or error. • Double Steal: two runners advance. • Triple Steal: three runners advance. • Strike Zone: Space over home plate halfway between the batter’s shoulders and waistline to the bottom of the knees when he takes a normal stance.

Rule 2Substitutions • Substitutions: Player(s) eligible to replace another player in the lineup; Unreported: Can be in the game, but has entered without reporting; Illegal: enters or re-enters without eligibility, re-enters in wrong position in batting order, enters game on defense while the player for whom he is batting is on defense, player for whom the DH is batting enters the game as a batter or runner in a different position in the batting order, player who violates the courtesy runner rule.

Rule 2Throw, Time, Time at Bat, Touching, Wild Pitch, Playing Field • Throw: Voluntarily losing possession from the hand for a purpose other than a pitch. • Time: Command of umpire to suspend play; also length of game. • Time at Bat: Period beginning when a batter enters the batter’s box and ending when he is put out or becomes a runner. • Touching: Contact with ball, base or runner. • Wild Pitch: Cannot be handled by the catcher with ordinary effort. • Playing Field: Fair and foul territory and any boundaries.

Western Piedmont Baseball