When I first came to the US, I had no idea about the game of baseball. Being a cricket fan I had to make do with following cricket through the web. Gradually I started watching baseball - - the closest thing to cricket - on TV. Initially all that attracted me to baseball was that it was played with a bat and a ball. Gradually I learnt the rules of the games by watching the games. My American colleagues explained some of the finer points to me. I’ll try to break down the game of baseball within a context of cricket.
Baseball is played in a diamond shaped field. Typically a game lasts around three hours.
Players
There are nine players in a team with just one bowler - pitcher. The pitcher plays only in every fifth game. The players can be substituted during a game.
Umpires
There are four umpires for each base. The main umpire stands behind the batsman and determines if the ball is thrown at the right area.
Innings
There are nine innings in a game and if the game is tied then extra innings are played till someone wins. There are no draws in baseball. Each inning ends when three batsmen are out. Then the batting teams fields and vice versa. So each player get to bat at least three times in a game.
Bowler
The pitcher from a stationary position always throws a full toss to the batsman. The fastest ball is 100 mph. This is almost the same as Shoaib Akthar’s fastest ball. Good pitchers swing the ball in the air with varying speeds. The distance between pitcher and batter is similar to cricket – 20 yards. The starting pitcher pitches for the first 6-7 innings and then other pitchers take over.
Batsman
The batteruses a cylindrical bat and tries to hit the ball away from a fielder. He runs to first base, then on to second base or third base before the fielder returns the ball. If there is a player in the bases already, that player will run to the next base and so on.
Non-Striker’s End
There are three in baseball, making up the other three corners of the diamond. These are called the bases. The batsman’s objective is to reach one of them. When he reaches them, he stays there and the next batsman comes to the crease. If the pitcher throws four balls(wide) to the batsman, the batsman is allowed to walk to first base and the next batsman takes over.
Wicketkeeper
The catcher is a very important player as he crouches behind the batsman and conveys through hand signals to the pitcher what kind of ball he should throw. Unlike in cricket, the pitcher doesn’t have full freedom to throw what he wants.
Stumps
There are no stumps in baseball. There’s an imaginary rectangular area called the strike area.
Fielders
There are seven fielders and. Three close in fielders at the three bases, three fielders at the boundary and one fielder at the pivotal position of shortstop (~midwicket)
Run
One run is scored when the batsman goes through the three other bases and reaches the batter’s position again. He then retires and the next batsman comes in. Runs are a premium in baseball and games are won with a score of 1-0 after nine innings.
Six
This is a home run when the batter hits the ball outside the ground. This is counted as one run. If there are, say one other person in the bases while he hit the home run, two runs are scored.
Out
Bowled: If the batsman swings at the ball and misses three times
Caught: If a fielder catches the ball
Run out: If a fielder fields the ball and throws it to a base fielder before the batsman reaches there
Captain
The non-playing Manager is the real captain. He is the one who decides to change pitchers, change fielding position, substitutes players.
These are just the basics of baseball. Cricket will always be my passion but over the years I’ve learnt to enjoy baseball and follow it regularly. When you have a game everyday for six months it can be pretty addictive.
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