A
baseball field, also called a
ball
field or a
baseball diamond, is the
field upon which the game of
baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and
"ball field" are also often used as
synonyms
for
ballpark.
Specifications
Diagram of a baseball field.
Unless otherwise noted, the specifications discussed in this
article refer to those described within the
Official Baseball Rules, under which
Major League Baseball is played. The starting point for much of the
action on the field is
home
plate, which is a five-sided slab of whitened rubber,
17-inches square with two of the corners removed so that one edge
is 17 inches long, two adjacent sides are 8½ inches and the
remaining two sides are 12 inches and set at an angle to make a
point. Adjacent to each of the two parallel 8 1/2-inch sides is a
batter's box. The point of home plate where the two 12-inch sides
meet at right angles, is at one corner of a ninety-
foot square. The other three corners of the
square, in counterclockwise order from home plate, are called
first base,
second
base, and
third base. Three canvas
bags fifteen inches (38 cm) square mark the three bases. These
three bags along with home plate form the four
bases at the corners of the infield.
A subtlety about the bases is that first and third base, along with
home plate, lie entirely within the ninety-foot square created by
the four bases. They are positioned this way to help the umpires,
as any ball hitting those bases must necessarily be in fair
territory. Home plate has its peculiar shape in order to help the
plate umpire judge whether a pitch is over the plate or not, that
is, whether it might be in the
strike
zone. The second base bag, which is (like all bags and home
plate) fully within fair territory, also is however placed so that
its center (unlike first, third and home) coincides exactly with
the corner or "point" of the ninety-foot infield square. Thus,
although the "points" of the bases are 90 feet apart, the physical
distance between each successive pair of base markers is closer to
88 feet. Also, this positioning of the second base bag creates an
"offset" (of one-half of its bag width) from pure "alignment" with
the first and third base bags - an anomaly which does not seem to
have affected play over the years.
The lines from home plate to first and third bases extend to the
nearest fence, stand or other obstruction and are called the
foul lines. The portion of the playing field
between (and including) the foul lines is
fair
territory; the rest is
foul territory.
The area in the vicinity of the square formed by the bases is
called the
infield; fair territory outside the
infield is known as the
outfield. Most baseball
fields are enclosed with a fence that marks the outer edge of the
outfield. The fence is usually set at a distance ranging from 300
to 410 feet (90 to 125 m) from home plate. Most professional and
college baseball fields have a right and left foul pole. These
poles are at the intersection of the foul lines and the respective
ends of the outfield fence. Another common feature of baseball
fields is a
warning track, a narrow
dirt path that follows the outer edge of the outfield at the fence
that serves to warn outfielders chasing a long fly ball of their
proximity to the wall.
First base
First base is the first of four bases that must be
touched by a player on the batting team in order to score a run.
Unlike when an offensive player reaches second or third base, it is
permissible for a batter-runner to overrun first base without being
in jeopardy of being put out. After contact is made with the base,
the batter-runner may slow down and return to first base at his
leisure, so long as he makes no move or attempt to advance to
second base.
There are nine ways a batter can reach first base. They are:
The first baseman is the defensive player responsible for the area
near first base. A professional first baseman is often tall. A tall
first baseman presents a large target to which other fielders can
throw, and his height gives him a larger range in reaching and
catching errant throws. Players who are left-handed are preferable
for first base because: first, it is easier for a left-handed
fielder to catch a pick-off throw from the pitcher and tag the
baserunner; and, second, his left foot (which he uses to maintain
contact with first base after receiving a throw from another
fielder) is closer to first base than his right foot. (A
right-handed first baseman must, when setting himself up to receive
a throw from an infielder, execute a half-pivot near the base; this
is a move that a left-hander need not make.)
In the
numbering system used
to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number
'3'.
Second base
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations
on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base
runner in order to score a run for that player's team. Second base
is typically defended by the second baseman and the
shortstop. Second base is also known as the
keystone sack. A runner on second base is said to be in "scoring
position," owing to the high likelihood of reaching home plate and
scoring a run from second base on most base hits. Since second is
the farthest base from home plate, it is the most common target of
base stealing.
Ideally, the second baseman and shortstop possess quick hands and
feet and the ability to release the ball rapidly and with accuracy.
One will usually cover second base when the other attempts to field
the ball. Both players must communicate well to be able to make a
double play. Particular agility is
required of the second baseman in double play situations, which
usually forces the player to throw towards first while his momentum
carries him in the opposite direction. In the numbering system used
to record defensive plays, the second baseman is assigned the
number 4, and the shortstop 6.
Third base
Third base is the third of four bases a baserunner
must touch in a counterclockwise succession in order to score a
run. Many batted balls that result in the batter being put out
(such as a
sacrifice fly) may
nevertheless allow a runner to reach home plate and score a run
from third base, provided that the third and final out is not
recorded before he can do so. A runner on third base is therefore
particularly valuable to the batting team when fewer than 2 outs
have been recorded.
The third baseman, or 3B, is the defensive player whose
responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base. A third
baseman ideally possesses quick reaction to batted balls and a
strong arm to make the long throw to first base. In the numbering
system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is
assigned the number 5.
Home plate
Home plate of Třebíč baseball
field
Home plate, formally designated
home
base in the rules, is the final base that a player must
touch to score. Unlike the other bases, home plate is a five-sided
slab of whitened rubber that is set at ground level. The use of
rubber was developed by Robert Keating, who pitched one game for
the 1887 Baltimore Orioles. Previously, more dangerously, the plate
was made of stone, iron or wood.
50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 meters) behind home plate is the
backstop, which is a wall/fence that will stop
wild pitches,
passed balls, and
foul
balls. In enclosed stadiums, the backstop is often composed of
a lower part, which is like any other part of the wall, and an
upper netting to protect spectators seated behind it; in
recreational baseball fields, there is usually a tall
chain-link fence, including an angled top
section, composing the entire backstop.
Additionally, the catcher covers home plate when a runner is
attempting to score a run; he must tag the runner with the ball (or
the glove with the ball inside) before the runner touches home
plate, or in the event that the bases are loaded he may simply
touch home plate while in possession of the ball to get the runner
out. Professional catchers in the major leagues often have large
body frames to maximally obstruct home plate from the runner's
access. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the
catcher is assigned the number 2.
Batter's box and catcher's box
The
batter's box is the place where the
batter stands when ready to receive a
pitch from the
pitcher. It is usually drawn in
chalk on the dirt surrounding
home plate, and the insides of the boxes are
watered down before each game.
The chalk lines delineating the 2 Foul Lines are often not extended
through the batter's boxes. However, those lines exist conceptually
for the purpose of judging a batted ball fair or foul. In addition,
inside edges of the Batter's Boxes are often not laid-in with
chalk. Similarly, though not marked, those lines continue to exist
for the purpose of the rules pertaining to the batter's box and the
batter's position relative thereto.
There are two batter's boxes, one on each side of home plate. The
batter's boxes are 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. The batter's boxes
are centered lengthwise at the center of home plate with the inside
line of each batter's box 6 inches from the near edge of home
plate. A
right handed batter would stand
in the batter's box on the left side of home plate from the
perspective of the
catcher and umpire. A
left-handed batter would stand in the batter's box to their right.
A batter may only occupy one batter's box at a time and may not
legally leave the batter's box after the pitcher has come set or
has started his windup. Should the batter wish to leave the
batter's box once the pitcher has engaged the
rubber, he must first ask the
umpire for
time-out. Time will not be granted if the
pitcher has already started his pitching motion. For playing rules
relating to the batter's box, see Rules 6.05 and 6.06 of the
Official Baseball
Rules.
The
catcher is the defensive player who is
positioned to receive pitches - generally positioned within the
catcher's box. The catcher's box is 43 inches
wide, centered on and extending 8 feet behind the point of home
plate. Rule sets vary as to the catcher's responsibility to remain
in the catcher's box. Under Official Baseball Rules, the only
specified penalty relating to the catcher's box is that when a
batter is being walked intentionally, it is a balk if the catcher
to steps outside the catcher's box before the pitcher releases the
pitch.
Foul poles
The purpose of the
foul poles is to help the
umpire judge whether a fly ball hit above the fence line is foul
(out of play) or fair (a
home run). The
poles are a vertical extension of the foul lines. Both objects are
used to determine whether a ball is foul or fair. The outer edge of
the foul lines and foul poles define foul territory and both the
lines and the poles themselves are actually
within fair
territory. Prior to 1920, the foul lines were "infinite": a
batter was awarded a home run only if a fly ball over the fence
landed in fair territory, or was fair "when last seen" by the
umpire. Under the current rule, a batted ball that goes out of play
in flight is judged fair or foul at the point it clears the fence.
Thus, a fly ball hitting a foul pole above the top of the outfield
fence is a home run, regardless of where the ball goes after
striking this pole, and a fly ball clearing the fence on the fair
side of the pole is a home run regardless of where it lands. Foul
poles (shown at right) are typically much higher than the top of
the outfield fence, and often have a narrow screen running along
the fair side of the pole to further aid the umpire's judgment. It
can still be a difficult call, especially in ballparks with no
outfield stands behind the poles to provide perspective.
Wrigley Field
is notorious for arguments over long, curving flies
down a foul line (most notably in left field) that sail higher than
the foul pole.
Pitcher's mound
The pitcher moves forward off the rubber as the pitch is
released.
In roughly the middle of the square, equidistant between first and
third base, and a few feet closer to home plate than to second
base, is a low artificial hill called the
pitcher's
mound. This is where the
pitcher
stands when throwing the
pitch.
Atop the mound is a white rubber slab, called the
pitcher's
plate or commonly
the rubber, 6 inches
(15 cm) front-to-back and 2 feet (61 cm) across, the
front of which is exactly 60 feet, 6 inches (18.4 m) from the rear
point of home plate. This peculiar distance was set by the
rulemakers in 1893, not due to a clerical or surveying error as
popular myth has it, but purposely (further details in History
section).
In
Major League Baseball, a
regulation mound is 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter, with the center 59
feet (18.0 m) from the rear point of home plate, on the line
between home plate and
second base. The
front edge of the
pitcher's plate or
rubber is 18
inches (45.7 cm) behind the center of the mound, making the
front edge's midpoint 60 feet 6 inches (18.4 m) from the rear point
of home plate. Six inches (15.2 cm) in front of the pitcher's
rubber the mound begins to slope downward. The top of the rubber is
to be no higher than ten inches (25.4 cm) above home plate.
From 1903 through 1968, this height limit was set at 15 inches, but
was often slightly higher, sometimes as high as 20 inches
(50.8 cm), especially for teams that emphasized pitching, such
as the
Los Angeles Dodgers, who
were reputed to have the highest mound in the majors.
A pitcher will push off the rubber with his foot in order to gain
velocity toward
home plate when pitching.
In addition, a higher mound generally favors the pitcher. With the
height advantage, the pitcher gains more leverage and can put more
downward velocity on the ball, making it more difficult for the
batter to strike the ball squarely with the
bat. The lowering of the mound in 1969 was
intended to "increase the batting" once again, as pitching had
become increasingly dominant, reaching its peak the prior year;
1968 is known among baseball historians as "The Year of the
Pitcher". This restrictive rule apparently did its job,
contributing to the hitting surge of modern baseball.
In
Little League Baseball, the
distance between the mound and homeplate is 46'.
PONY Baseball
caters to most of the same age ranges as Little
League in their Shetland, Pinto, Mustang and Bronco divisions
(covering ages 5 through 12 respectively) Each of these divisions
features a different distance between the mound and home plate, as
well as progressively longer baselines. This graduation of
the field dimensions is meant to mirror the growth of the
participants themselves as they mature physically. For example the
Mustang division mound is 44' from home, and the Bronco division
48'. PONY baseball offers divisions for kids beyond the age of 12
in the Pony, Colt and Palomino divisions. The Pony division
utilizes a 54' distance from the mound to home while Colt and
Palomino use a major league dimensions of 60' 6" mound distance and
90' basepaths.
A pitcher's mound is difficult for
groundskeepers to maintain. Usually before
every game it is watered down to keep the dust from spreading. On
youth and amateur baseball fields, the mound may be much different
from the rulebook definition due to erosion and repair attempts.
Even in the major leagues, each mound gains its own character, as
pitchers are allowed to kick away pieces of dirt in their way,
thereby sculpting the mound a bit to their preference.
Mark Fidrych is an example of such a pitcher.
The pitcher may keep a
rosin bag on the rear
of the mound to dry off his hands
Baseline
A
baseline is the direct route—a straight line—
between two adjacent bases, though it is not drawn in chalk or
paint on the field (though foul lines are drawn). The
basepath is the region within three feet (0.9 m) of the
baseline.
Baserunners are not required to
run in this objective basepath, however; a baserunner may run
wherever he wants when no play is being attempted on him. At the
moment the defense begins to attempt a
tag
on him, his
running baseline is established as a
direct line from his current position to the base which he is
trying for. A runner straying more than three feet away from his
baseline in an attempt to avoid a tag may be called out.
Grass line
The
grass line, where the dirt of the infield ends
and the grass of the outfield begins, has no special significance
to the rules of the game, but it can influence the outcome of a
game. Dirt running paths between the bases (and, at one time,
between the pitcher and the catcher) have existed since the
beginning of the game, although they were not mentioned in the rule
books until around 1950, and their specifications are flexible. In
addition to providing a running path, the grass lines act as a
visual aid so that players,
umpires and fans may better judge distance
from the center of the diamond. Occasionally the ball may take a
tricky bounce off the dirt area or the edge between the dirt and
the grass.
World Series championships
(including 1924, 1960 and 1986) have been decided or heavily
influenced by erratic hops of ground balls. In
artificial turf stadiums (such as those with
FieldTurf in Major League Baseball),
infield dirt is placed only around the bases and around the
pitcher's and batting areas; thus the "grass line" is designated
with a white line.
The exception is at St.
Petersburg
's Tropicana
Field
, where, in spite of artificial turf, standard dirt
basepaths are used.
Outfield
The
outfield is made from thick grass or
artificial turf. It is where the outfielders play.The positions to
play in the outfield are right, center, and left field.
Warning track
The
warning track typically refers to the strip of
dirt in front of the home run fence. Because the warning track's
color and feel differs from the grass outfield, an outfielder can
remain focused on a fly ball near the fence and take his proximity
to the fence into consideration while attempting to catch the ball
safely. It is also used for grounds maintenance so as to not drive
on the grass field.
A warning track is also a common feature along the left and right
sides of a field.
A warning track's width varies from field to field. It is generally
designed to give about three steps of warning to the highest level
players using the field. Typical widths run from about six feet for
Little League fields to about 10-15 feet for college- or
professional-level play.
The track can be composed of finely ground rock particles such as
cinders, which is why announcer
Bob Wolff
called it the "cinder path" rather than the "warning track".
The idea of a warning track originated in Yankee Stadium, where an
actual running track was built for the use of track and field
events. When baseball people saw how the track helped fielders, it
soon became a feature of every ballpark.
Despite the warning track's presence, it is common to see
outfielders crash into the wall to make a catch, due either to a
desire to field the play regardless of the outcome or because they
fail to register the warning. For this reason, outfield walls are
typically padded for extra safety, where feasible.
Wrigley Field's brick wall is covered only by ivy, which is not
especially soft. There are pads on the walls of the tight
left and right field corners in foul ground.
Warning-track power is a derogatory term for a batter who
seems to have just enough power to hit the ball to the warning
track for an out, but not enough to hit a home run. The term more
generally refers to someone or something that is almost but not
quite good enough for something.
Outfield wall
Outfield wall is the wall that separates the outfield from the out
of play zone. Certain ballparks give up more home runs depending on
the height of their walls. Fenway Park's
Green Monster is the tallest of these walls at
37ft. Many ballparks have padding on the walls for the protection
of outfielders trying to make plays.
Bullpen
The
bullpen (sometimes referred to as simply "the
pen") is the area where pitchers warm-up before entering a game.
Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory
along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Relief
pitchers usually wait in the bullpen when they have yet to play in
a game, rather than in the
dugout
with the rest of the team. The starting pitcher also makes his
final pregame warmups in the bullpen. Managers can call coaches in
the bullpen on an in-house telephone from the dugout to tell a
certain pitcher to begin his warmup tosses."Bullpen" is also used
metaphorically to describe a team's collection of relief pitchers.
Pitchers warming up in the
bullpen
On-deck circles
There are two
on-deck circles in the field, one
for each team, positioned in foul ground between home plate and the
respective teams' benches. They are technically known as
next-batter's boxes. The on-deck circle is where
the next scheduled batter, or "on-deck" batter, warms up while
waiting for the current batter to finish his turn. The on-deck
circle is either an area composed of bare dirt; a plain circle
painted onto artificial turf; or often, especially at the
professional level, made from artificial material, with the team's
logo painted onto it.
Coach's boxes
The
coach's boxes, located behind 1st and 3rd
base, are where the 1st and 3rd base coach are supposed to stand,
but often they don't stand on them and move closer into the field.
That is permissible as long as they do not interfere with play. The
coach's boxes are marked with chalk or paint. In early day's, the
term "coacher's box" was used, as "coach" was taken to be a verb.
As the term "coach" evolved into a noun, the name of the box also
changed.
History
The basic layout of the diamond has been little changed since the
original
Knickerbocker Rules of
the 1840s. The distance between bases was already established as 90
feet, which it remains to this day. Through trial and error, 90
feet had been settled upon as the optimal distance. 100 feet would
have given too much advantage to the defense, and 80 feet too much
to the offense. As athleticism has improved on both sides of the
equation, 90 feet remains the appropriate balance between hitting
and fielding, as it continues to provide frequent tests between the
speed of a batter-runner and the throwing arm of a fielder.
It is the pitching distance, and other aspects of the pitcher's
mound, and of pitching itself, that were tinkered with from time to
time over the many decades, in an effort to keep an appropriate
balance between pitching and hitting.
In contrast to the distance between the bases, which seems natural
enough, the very specific pitching distance of 60 feet 6 inches is
one of those sports oddities that seems like a mistake unless one
knows the history:
- The original Knickerbocker
Rules did not specify the pitching distance explicitly.
- By the time major league baseball began in the 1870s, the
pitcher was compelled to pitch from within a "box" whose front edge
was 45 feet from the "point" of home plate. Although he had to
release the ball before crossing the line, as with bowlers in
cricket, he also had to start his delivery
from within the box; he could not run in from the field as bowlers
do. Furthermore, he had to throw underhand. By the 1880s, pitchers
had mastered the underhand delivery quite well. The year 1880 saw
two perfect games within a week of each other.
- In an attempt to "increase the batting", the front edge of the
pitcher's box was moved back 5 feet in 1881, to 50 feet from home
plate.
- The size of the box was tinkered with over the next few years.
Pitchers were allowed to throw overhand starting in 1884, and that
tilted the balance of power again. In 1887, the box was set at 4
feet wide and 5 1/2 feet deep, with the front edge still 50 feet
from the plate. However, the pitcher was compelled to deliver the
ball with his back foot at the 55 1/2 foot line of the box, thus
somewhat restricting his ability to "power" the ball with his
overhand delivery. (Lansch, p.96)
- In 1893, the box was replaced by the pitcher's plate, although
the term "knocked out of the box" is still sometimes used when a
pitcher is replaced for ineffectiveness. Exactly 5 feet was added
to the point the pitcher had to toe, again "to increase the
batting" (and hopefully to increase attendance, as fan interest had
flagged somewhat), resulting in the seemingly peculiar pitching
distance of 60 1/2 feet. (Lansch, p.230)
- Many sources tend to say that the pitching distance evolved
from 45 to 50 to 60 1/2 feet. However, the first two were the
"release point" and the third is the "pushoff point", so the 1893
increase was not quite as dramatic as is often implied; that is,
the 1893 rule change added only 5 feet to the release point, not 10
1/2 feet.
- Originally the pitcher threw from flat ground (as softball
pitchers still do), but over time the mound was developed, tipping
the balance back the pitchers' way somewhat.
- Prior to the mid-20th century, it was common for baseball
fields to include a dirt pathway between the pitcher's mound and
home plate. This feature, sometimes known as the "keyhole" for the
shape that it makes together with the mound, was once as wide as
the pitcher's box and resembled the "pitch" area used in the game
of cricket. Sometimes this path extended through the batting area
and all the way to the backstop. Once the rounded pitcher's mound
was developed, the path became more ornamental than practical, and
was gradually made thinner before being largely abandoned by the
late 1940s. In recent years some ballparks, such as
Comerica
Park
and Chase
Field
in the major leagues, have revived the feature for
nostalgic reasons.
References
- Official Rules of Major League Baseball
- The Baseball Encyclopedia, published by MacMillan
- Glory Fades Away, by Jerry Lansch
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