Baseball is played between two teams of nine players, and the team that scores more runs wins. A run scores each time a runner legally touches first, second, third and home base before three outs end the inning.
This page follows the Official Baseball Rules, 2026 Edition, published by the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, which governs Major League Baseball and the professional leagues under it. These are the MLB rules as of November 2026. Youth leagues and softball have their own versions, so I haven't mixed them in.
The game in one paragraph
Two teams of nine take turns batting and fielding, each under the direction of a manager, on an enclosed field with one or more umpires in charge. The offence wants its batter to become a runner and its runners to move round the bases. The defence wants to stop batters reaching base and stop runners advancing. Three outs and the teams swap. Nine innings later, the side with more runs wins.
The diamond: infield, bases and fences
The infield is a 90-foot square, with a base at each corner and home base where the batter stands. The outfield is the area between the two foul lines, which extend from two sides of that square. Three numbers are worth knowing:
| What | Official Baseball Rules figure |
|---|---|
| Infield | A 90-foot square |
| Pitcher's plate to home base | 60 feet, 6 inches |
| Home base to the nearest fence in fair territory | 250 feet or more |
Teams, the battery and the batting order
When the ball is put in play, every fielder except the catcher has to be in fair territory. The pitcher and catcher together are called the battery. Each player bats in the order of the batting order, and the first batter in each later inning is the player after the last one who completed a turn at bat.
A manager may also use a designated hitter, chosen before the game, who bats for the pitcher. That's why you'll sometimes see a pitcher who never picks up a bat.
How an inning runs
An inning is the part of a game in which both teams bat and field, with three putouts for each team. Each team's time at bat is a half-inning. Here's the order of play:
- The home team takes the field first.
- When the umpire calls Play, the first visiting batter steps into the batter's box and the game starts.
- The pitcher delivers each pitch to the batter, who can swing or let it go.
- The visiting team bats until the home team records three outs. That's the top half of the inning.
- The teams swap, and the home team bats until it has three outs. That's the bottom half.
- A regulation game is nine innings, unless a tie extends it or the home team doesn't need its half of the ninth.
Strikes, balls, fair and foul
A strike is more than a swing and a miss. The umpire calls a strike when the batter swings and misses, when the batter doesn't swing but the pitch passes through the strike zone, when the batter hits a foul ball with fewer than two strikes, when the batter bunts foul, or when the pitch touches the batter as he swings.
The strike zone is the area over home plate. Its top is the midpoint between the top of the batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and its bottom is the hollow beneath the kneecap.
A ball is a pitch that doesn't enter the strike zone in flight and isn't swung at. Four of those and the batter is awarded first base. That's a base on balls, better known as a walk.
Two catches people miss here. A foul ball isn't a strike once the batter already has two strikes, so a batter can keep fouling pitches off. The exception is a foul bunt, which is a strike.
A fair ball settles on fair ground between home and first or between home and third, touches first, second or third base, or leaves the playing field in flight over fair territory. A foul ball settles in foul territory outside those lines.
How a run counts, and when it doesn't
One run scores each time a runner legally advances to and touches first, second, third and home base before three outs end the inning. A fair fly ball over a fence or into the stands at 250 feet or more from home base is a home run, as long as the batter touches all the bases legally. A fair ball that bounces into the stands, or goes through or under a fence, lets the batter and runners advance two bases.
Now the rule that catches people. A run doesn't count if the runner crosses home on a play where the third out is:
- a force out of any runner,
- the batter-runner being put out before he touches first base, or
- a preceding runner declared out for missing a base.
So with two outs, a runner can race home before the ball reaches first, and the run still won't count if the batter-runner is thrown out there. Timing matters.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Ways to be put out
The batter becomes a runner when he hits a fair ball. A batter is out when a fair or foul fly ball is legally caught, or when the third strike is legally caught by the catcher. A third strike only counts as caught if the ball is in the catcher's glove before it touches the ground.
Here's the twist. If the catcher doesn't catch the third strike, the batter may run to first if first base is unoccupied, or if first is occupied and there are two outs. With first base occupied and fewer than two outs, the batter is simply out.
Runners can be put out too. A tag is when a fielder touches a runner with the ball, or with the hand or glove holding the ball securely, or touches a base with his body while holding the ball. And a runner who runs more than three feet away from his base path to avoid a tag is out, unless he's avoiding interference with a fielder.
Winning the game and extra innings
The winner is the team with more runs at the end of a regulation game. If the score is tied after nine completed innings, play carries on.
Each half-inning after the ninth starts with a runner already on second base. He's the player in the batting order immediately before that half-inning's leadoff hitter, placed there by the rule rather than by a hit or a walk. Play ends when the visitors lead after a completed inning, or the home team scores the winning run.
My verdict: where to start
I'd start with the inning, three outs and the four bases, then learn what makes a strike and a ball. That's enough to follow a game on TV, and if you want to watch more than the odd game, here's what MLB.TV costs.
I'd skip the infield fly rule, balks and the finer points of interference until you're playing on a club team, because the umpires handle those and beginners rarely meet them. For a garden version with the same bases and innings but a big rubber ball, my kickball rules are a gentle way in.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are on a baseball team?
Nine players on the field per team, under the direction of a manager. The pitcher and catcher together are called the battery.
How many innings are in a baseball game?
A regulation game is nine innings, each inning having a half for each team and three outs per half. It can be extended if the score is tied, or shortened if the home team doesn't need its half of the ninth.
What is a strike in baseball?
A legal pitch called by the umpire when the batter swings and misses, or doesn't swing but the pitch passes through the strike zone, or the batter fouls it off with fewer than two strikes, or bunts it foul.
How many balls make a walk?
Four pitches outside the strike zone give the batter first base, called a base on balls.
What happens if a baseball game is tied after nine innings?
Play continues in extra innings. Each half-inning after the ninth starts with a runner on second base, and the game ends when one team leads after a completed inning or the home team scores the winning run.
