The most famous comedy routine of all time.
Read on:
Who’s on the field?
A baseball team consists of an active roster of twenty-five players (except in September, when this is expanded to 40). When not on the field, the players (except relief pitchers) are in the dugout. In general, this roster will consist of:
Five starting pitchers, who pitch in rotation.
Six infielders, of whom four start the game. One or more is usually adept at multiple infield positions: a utility player.
Four outfielders, of whom three start.
Two catchers.
Eight or so relief pitchers, collectively called the bullpen (which is also the name of the area where they wait, and warm-up if needed).
The leader is the manager, who, unlike in football, wears a player’s uniform. There are also coaches, with specific roles to supplement and advise: bench coach, bullpen coach, hitting coach, pitching coach, first- and third-base coaches. The latter two stand near the bases during their team’s offense, to help direct baserunners: for example, a third-base coach may tell a runner coming from second to hold up at third, because the defense would likely get him out at home if he tried to score.
The batting order
Prior to the start of the game, the managers deliver their batting order to the home plate umpire. This is a list of the starting players, and in what order they will bat. This must be strictly adhered to! They will, of course, bat in a nine-player rotation, with the tenth batter being the first batter once again. Players higher in the order will likely get up to bat more often than players lower down.
In general (do not give this section too much weight) the first batter should be one who gets on base consistently (this would mean maybe 40% of the time for a good player), and ideally a fast runner, who can maybe steal a base (more on that later). Does not have to be a power hitter. The second batter should also be consistent, and hopefully does not hit too many ground balls (which, if the first batter is on base, could result in a double play). The batters in the middle of the order should be your power hitters, hitting doubles or homers to “bring home” the earlier runners. The lower part of the order is the less-adept hitters, but just as important to a team’s success!
Pitchers are notoriously bad hitters, with occasional exceptions (Madison Bumgarner of the Giants comes to mind). So they usually bat ninth. And here is that huge rule difference between the American League and the National League! In the NL, the pitcher bats, just like anybody else. 1 In the AL, another player will bat in place of the pitcher; this player is known as the designated hitter for that game. So the batting order will still include nine players: the eight position players, and the DH; the pitcher will be listed separately. The DH can bat anywhere in the order. Any of the players that are not starting in the field may serve as DH. 2 When a game is played between the two leagues, the home team’s rule governs. So yes, sometimes AL pitchers have to bat! It’s not pretty.
The Umpires
Most games have four umpires (in playoff games, six). Umpires are trained professionals, and for the most part do their jobs (which are kind of impossible) very well. When an ump messes up, players and coaching staff tend to really play it up. Sometimes the ump will throw a player or manager out of the game! 3
The home plate umpire calls balls and strikes, calls safe or out on plays at home plate, calls fair or foul when he has a better view than the other umps.
The umpires at first and third call safe or out at plays at those bases, call fair or foul when they have a better view, calls whether a batter has successfully checked his swing (started a swing, but halted before the bat crossed the plate). (The first-base ump makes this call for right-handed batters, the third-base ump for lefties). The second base umpire calls safe or out at second, and anything else he may have a better view of. All infield umps also call whether a catch was made properly in the outfield (ie, the ball did not touch the ground before the catch), and whether a ball exits the stadium.
Bat boys and ball girls
Back in the day, these were all boys. Good to see this kind of change. Bat boys race out to pick up the hitter’s bat after he has run to first base. Ball girls, stationed in foul territory, pick up foul balls in their area to return them. Sometimes they will make a highlight-reel play or save a fan’s face!
Management
Boring. End of interlude.
- This can be a conundrum for the manager; if your team is behind by a small amount, and it is late in the game, and your pitcher has been pitching well, and you have men on base: do you put in a “pinch-hitter” for the pitcher? Remember, in baseball there are no in-and-out substitutions, so the pitcher would be removed from the game, and you would need to go to your bullpen when the half-inning is over and you take the field again.
- Some teams have had a consistent DH, often a fearsome hitter who lacks the speed or durability to play the field, due to age or chronic injury; David Ortiz of the Red Sox was such a player).
- There are specific rules for this: if the ump is physically contacted in any way, even accidentally; if the player throws bat or other equipment; uses obscenity; continuing to argue after being warned; throws objects from the dugout.