How to Play Baseball: Rules, Innings, Outs and Runs
Updated
In baseball, two teams of nine players take turns batting and fielding. The team at bat scores runs: a batter hits the ball the pitcher throws, then runs around the bases to home plate. After nine innings, the team with more runs wins.
The rules run on three numbers. Three strikes put a batter out, four balls send the batter to first base, and three outs end a team's turn at bat. The rules below follow the Wikipedia articles on baseball and its rules.
The field and the players
Baseball is played on a diamond with four bases: first, second, third and home plate. The batter stands at home plate, and runners move counterclockwise from first to second to third and back home. A ball hit between the two foul lines is fair and in play, and a ball hit outside them is foul.
The team in the field has nine players: a pitcher, a catcher, first, second and third basemen, a shortstop, and left, center and right fielders. The pitcher throws from the mound, and the catcher squats behind home plate to receive the pitch.
How an inning works
An inning gives each team one turn at bat and one in the field. The visiting team usually bats in the top half and the home team in the bottom half. A half-inning ends when the fielding team makes three outs.
A game lasts nine innings at the professional and college level, seven in high school and six in Little League. If the score is tied after the last inning, extra innings are played until one team is ahead at the end of an inning. If the home team leads after the top of the ninth, the bottom half is not played. If it takes the lead in the bottom of the ninth or later, the game ends on the spot.
Strikes, balls and walks
The pitcher throws toward home plate, and the umpire judges whether the pitch passes through the strike zone: the area above home plate from the midpoint between the batter's shoulders and belt down to the hollow of the knee.
| What happens | The call |
|---|---|
| The batter swings and misses | Strike |
| The pitch is in the strike zone and the batter does not swing | Strike |
| The pitch is outside the zone and the batter does not swing | Ball |
| A foul ball with fewer than two strikes | Strike |
| A foul ball with two strikes | No change |
- Three strikes: a strikeout, and the batter is out.
- Four balls: a walk, which is a free trip to first base.
- Hit by pitch: a batter who did not swing, tried to avoid a pitch outside the zone and was hit by it also takes first base.
If the catcher does not hold the third strike cleanly, the batter may run to first base when it is empty or there are two outs.
Getting on base and scoring runs
A batter reaches base with a hit, a walk, a hit by pitch or an error. A hit is a single, double or triple, depending on the base reached. An error is a fielder's mistake that lets the batter reach base, and it does not count as a hit. A home run is a fair ball hit in the air over the outfield fence, and the batter and every runner on base score.
A run scores when a runner touches first, second, third and then home plate, in that order, without being put out. A home run with the bases loaded, called a grand slam, scores four runs. The team with the most runs wins.
How players are put out
| Out | How it happens |
|---|---|
| Strikeout | Three strikes against the batter |
| Flyout | A fielder catches a batted ball before it lands |
| Force out | A fielder holding the ball touches a base before a runner who must move up to it gets there |
| Tag out | A fielder touches a runner with the ball while the runner is off a base |
After a caught fly ball, runners may advance only by tagging up: touching the base they held as or after the catch. On a foul ball that is not caught, runners return to the bases they held. Three outs end the half-inning.
Rules that change from league to league
- Designated hitter: some leagues add a tenth player who bats for the pitcher and does not field. The National League of Major League Baseball adopted it in 2022.
- Mercy rule: some youth and amateur leagues end a game early when one team leads by ten or more runs.
- Ties: in Major League Baseball a tie happens only when conditions make it impossible to continue play. Some leagues stop after a set number of extra innings and record a tie.
Baseball in your browser
Browser baseball keeps the swing. In the games below, the descriptions put you at the plate, or on the mound in one case, and none mentions fielding, running the bases, innings or outs. You score by hitting.
- Baseball Mania throws 10 pitches at you. Click or tap to swing, and wait for the right moment to hit a home run.
- Baseball Bat mixes curveballs and fastballs with paint bombs to dodge. You click at the right moment.
- Batting Kings is a run of matches against opponents, where you time each swing with the mouse.
- Gully Baseball and BaseBall Hit Game pit you against an opponent to destroy the most building windows. Both use the mouse.
- Baseball Star and Baseball Pro play with a click, a tap or the mouse, one for precise hits and the other for as many home runs as possible.
- Flick HomeRun- Baseball is built on a physical pendulum: you flick your finger to hit.
- Baseball Kid : Pitcher Cup puts you on the mound against 20 teams, copying the throwing sequences to lead your team to victory.
Tips for batting games
- Wait for your pitch. Baseball Mania says to wait for the right moment to swing, and Batting Kings asks you to time every swing.
- Read the pitch. Baseball Bat throws curveballs and fastballs, so speed and path tell you when to swing.
More sports are in the sports games category. Cricket, another bat sport, is in sports games online, and games built around a ball are in ball games online.
Baseball FAQ
How many innings are in a baseball game?
Nine at the professional and college level, seven in high school and six in Little League. A tie goes to extra innings.
How many strikes and balls does it take?
Three strikes make a strikeout, and four balls make a walk.
What is a foul ball?
A ball hit outside the foul lines. It counts as a strike unless the batter already has two strikes.
How do you score in baseball?
A run scores when a runner touches all four bases in order without being put out.
Count three strikes, three outs and nine innings, and the rest of baseball follows; tennis has its own count in how to play tennis.
