LEARN BASEBALL RULES FAST & EASY

Simplified and Illustrated delivers the official rules plus clear illustrations and simplified explanations of complex rules.

NFHS Baseball Rules

224 pages 5.5 x 8.5

All of the official NFHS rules and caseplays in one place. Find what you need fast whether you’re preparing for this season, taking a test or reviewing before a game. ––

240 pages

5.5 x 8.5 only $10 each

Caseplays

No Balk on Appeal

Play: With R2 on second, B2 singles to score R2, but R2 misses third. When the ball is returned to the infield, F6 requests and is granted “time.” F1 subsequently engages the rubber. When the plate umpire says, “Play,” F1 steps toward third from the rubber and throws to F5, who appeals the missed base. Ruling: R2 is out. That is a permissible and proper appeal procedure. However, under NFHS rules a verbal appeal can be made while the ball is dead and that is the preferred approach (NFHS 8-2-1 Pen.; NCAA 8-6b10; pro 6.02a4).

Far Enough?

Play: With R2 on second, F6 has the ball hidden under his arm. F1 bends down to scrape mud off his shoes with one foot on the dirt portion of the mound and one foot on the grass. F6 tags R2 while he is off the base. Ruling: In NFHS, R2 is out unless F1 was within five feet of the pitching plate. The standard mound configuration is an 18-foot circle, which would place F1 about nine feet from the rubber. In NCAA and pro, a balk is called. The pitcher cannot be on the dirt portion of the mound without the ball (NFHS 6-2-5; NCAA 9-3f; pro 6.02a9).

No Overheating

Play: Jones, the starting pitcher, takes the mound to start the sixth inning. How many warmup pitches may he take? Ruling: In NFHS and NCAA, he may take no more than five warmup pitches. In pro, he can take as many as he can complete within the allotted time interval between innings (NFHS 6-2-2 Exc.; NCAA 9-2; pro 5.07b).

Point of Origin

Play: With R1 on first stealing on the pitch, B2 hits a ground ball to F6, who throws to second, but R1 is safe at second. F4 then tries to throw out B2, who has not reached first base, but the ball gets by F3 and goes into the dugout. Ruling: The award is two bases from the time of the throw because the throw by F4 is not the first play by an infielder, but a subsequent play.R1 is awarded home and B2 second (NFHS 8-35; NCAA 8-3o3 Note 1 and 2; pro 5.06b4G).

Hit by Pitch

A batter is awarded first base if he is hit anywhere on his person or uniform by a pitch unless he swings at the pitch or the pitch is in the strike zone when it strikes him. In both those cases, the ball is dead, no runners can advance and a strike is called. If it’s the third strike, the batter is out (NFHS 8-1-1d1; NCAA 8-2d; pro 5.05b2, 5.06c1, 5.09a6).

The issue of the batter’s responsibility when a pitch is thrown near him involves a fine distinction. NCAA and pro rules require the batter to attempt to get out of the way in order to be awarded first base, while NFHS states he is awarded first base unless he permits the pitch to hit him.

NCAA takes this issue a step further and distinguishes between pitches that are clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter’s box and those that are not. If the batter freezes and the umpire rules there was nothing he could do to get out of the way and he is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, he is awarded first. If the pitch is clearly outside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, the batter must make an effort to avoid being hit by the pitch (NFHS 8-1-1d1; NCAA 6-4c, 8-2d1b; pro 5.05b2).

Play 2: F1 throws a fastball in the middle of the batter’s box. B1 is caught flat-footed and the ball strikes him in the middle of the back. Ruling 2: B1 is a hit batsman since he did not swing at the pitch. He is awarded first.

Play 3: B1 takes a stance leaning over the plate. The pitch is high, near the inside edge of the plate. B1 freezes and allows the pitch to hit the top of his shoulder that is out of the batter’s box. Ruling 3: The ball is dead and is a ball. B1 is not awarded first.

In NFHS and pro, if the batter intentionally gets hit by moving or rolling any part of his body into the pitch, a ball or strike is called depending on whether it was in the strike zone when it touched the batter. In NCAA, the location of the pitch does not matter. It is called a strike regardless.

Catcher Interference

If the catcher interferes with the batter’s swing and a play follows, the ball is not immediately dead and the umpire will allow the play to continue. If the batter reaches first base and all other runners advance at least one base, the interference is ignored. A runner who misses the first base to which he is advancing and who is subsequently called out for a baserunning infraction is

When the batter is obstructed by the catcher, as shown here, three different outcomes are possible: a one-base award to the batter-runner, the offense choosing the outcome of the play, or the obstruction being ignored because the batter-runner reached first base and all baserunners advanced one base.

5 Minutes With Robert Faulkens

Age: 60

Hometown: Indianapolis

Experience: Now in 13th year with the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA); currently serves as assistant commissioner in charge of baseball, football and wrestling, and other assigned duties. Incoming chair for the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee.

REFEREE: Have you noticed a shift in the high school game as far as how much players are pushing the envelope when it comes to sportsmanship and bench jockeying?

FAULKENS: Absolutely. And of course the pendulum has swung in my 13 years. Initially, it was not an issue. It became an issue, and now it’s becoming less of an issue because we’re paying more attention to it. So, I can certainly say I’ve seen it at both ends of the spectrum. And we’re at the point now where because it’s being addressed and it is a point of emphasis, it is becoming less and less of an issue in the numbers than it was just a couple years ago.

REFEREE: When it did spike, what was the biggest concern?

FAULKENS: Just the behavior, the language, the antics that were not representative of any scholastic-based entity or activity. It was at the point where it was something that was really alarming.

REFEREE: We’ve seen some highprofile issues with sportsmanship at higher levels in recent years. Do you worry about high school kids seeing these things on television and social media and it leading to a trickle-down effect? considered to have advanced one base for the purpose of this rule. If the above does not occur and a batted ball follows the interference, the offense may elect to decline the interference penalty, which is a onebase award, and accept the results of the play (NFHS 8-1-1e, 8-1-2a; NCAA 8-2e1, 8-2e2; pro 5.05b3).

FAULKENS: Yeah, we always worry about that. But we’re also confident that if our coaches address it that we can get it under control. Again, if it’s not a point of emphasis, we become lax. Then until it becomes an issue, a lot of people don’t address it because there are other things that become hot spots. Then you pay attention to those. And, of course, water is going to seek the lowest level. When you’re not paying attention to one thing it becomes an issue. Then when you pay attention to that, something else becomes an issue.

REFEREE: You mentioned the need for coaches to address these issues. How do you feel umpires are handling these situations overall? Are they doing a good job using the tools available to them as spelled out in the NFHS rulebook for addressing these issues?

FAULKENS: They’re doing the best they can, but they’re human as well. All umpires have their own tolerance level for what seems appropriate and what’s not. When you leave it to those individuals to do their own interpretations, again, that leads to maybe issues happening because one day what you said is acceptable and the next day it’s not. I think we need to do a better job providing clear-cut guidelines about what is acceptable and what is not, and we’re moving in that direction.

REFEREE: A lot of fans look at these situations and want to excuse them in the name of “having fun.” How do you balance that tightrope of allowing the participants to enjoy the game, but not crossing the line into unsporting behavior?

FAULKENS: You mentioned sportsmanship and fair play. You don’t have fun at the expense of your opponent. That’s just not good sportsmanship. You don’t do it to show someone up. You don’t do it for that reason. I’m reminded of the saying, “Your right to swing your fists ends at the other person’s face.” So when you do something that is offensive to another person, an opponent, a fan, then you’ve gone beyond the bounds of having fun and it needs to be addressed. It’s unacceptable in any way, shape or form.

Under NCAA and pro rules, if the interference occurs while a runner on third is trying to score by means of a steal or squeeze play, the runner is awarded home, the batter is awarded first and the pitcher is charged with a balk (NCAA 8-3p; pro 5.05b3 Cmt., 6.01g). Under NFHS rules, there is no balk; runners advance only if forced unless they were attempting to advance (8-1-1e1).

Play 4: With runners on second and third, a squeeze play is called. R2 holds and as R3 bears down on the plate, the catcher prematurely jumps up and interferes with B1. Ruling 4: B1 is awarded first and R3 is awarded home. In NCAA and pro, R2 advances to third on the balk, but he remains at second in NFHS.

Overthrows

When the ball is thrown out of play, the award by rule is two bases, either from the time of the pitch or the time of the throw, but sometimes that cannot happen (NFHS 8-3-3c3; NCAA 8-3o4 Note 2; pro 5.06b4G Cmt.).

Play 5: With R1 on first, B2 hits a fly ball to short right field. R1 holds up between first and second and B1 rounds first and pulls up behind R1. The ball drops and F9, in throwing to first, sends the ball over the fence. Ruling 5: By rule, both R1 and B2 should be awarded two bases, which would put both runners on third. Since no runner may be advanced beyond the base to which he is entitled, R1 is placed at third and B2 is held at second base.

Other notable one-base awards include balks, pickoff attempts from the rubber and, in some cases, obstruction.

George Demetriou, Colorado Springs, Colo., is the state’s rules interpreter. *

Left, Left, Left-Right-Left

Umpires are taught that 90 percent of what happens on the field can usually be found in 10 percent of the rulebook, but they aren’t absolved from knowing all of the once-in-alifetime plays or situations that may occur.

A perfect example showed up at the beginning of the 2023 college baseball season, when Mississippi State University started a pitcher who is ambidextrous. Believe it or not, this rarity is covered in all three rule codes.

While a pitcher may be talented enough to throw with either arm, he’s not allowed to do so during the course of an at-bat. Instead, he must declare which arm he is going to throw with and then use only that arm until the batter’s at-bat comes to an end.

The exact rule language is as follows in each code:

•If a pitcher is ambidextrous, the umpire shall require the pitcher to face a batter as either a lefthanded pitcher or right-handed pitcher, but not both (NFHS 6-1). If the pitcher delivers a pitch with both hands during an at-bat, at the time of the infraction it is an illegal pitch and a ball is awarded to the batter. If there is a runner on base, it is a balk (NFHS 6-1 Pen.).

•The pitcher shall not pitch both right-handed and left-handed to the same batter during a plate appearance (NCAA 9-2k). If a pitcher changes pitching hands during a batter’s time at bat, the umpire shall call a balk if a runner is on base, call a ball for an illegal pitch if there are no runners on base, warn the pitcher or eject the pitcher if the offense is repeated (NCAA 9-2k Pen.).

•A pitcher must indicate visually to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he intends to pitch, which may be done by wearing his glove on the other hand while touching the pitcher’s plate. The pitcher is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, the batter becomes a runner, the inning ends, the batter is substituted for by a pinch hitter or the pitcher incurs an injury. Also, in the event a pitcher switches pitching hands during an at-bat because he has suffered an injury, he may not, for the remainder of the game, pitch with the hand from which he has switched (pro 5.07f). However, pro rules do not specify a penalty. Simply put, the umpires are supposed to declare the ball dead and shut down play if a pitcher attempts to violate the rule. *