Baseball Basics: The Playing Field
A baseball ballpark is usually square in structure but is referred to as a “diamond”. No two ballparks are identical in dimensions but the basic playing field remains the same. The ballparks are termed as “pitcher’s park” or “hitter’s park” depending on
the length of the outfield fence and whether the playing conditions benefit the pitcher or the batter.
If the outfield fence is stationed at a longer distance, producing home-runs becomes difficult and the probability of the batter flying out increases. The foul territory also increases and the chances of the airborne ball being caught within the foul territory
also increase. There are stadiums where the wind is blowing towards the home plate. This assists the pitchers with added pace to their pitches and makes run scoring difficult. Such ballparks are termed as “pitcher’s ballpark”.
On the contrary, there are playing fields which have relatively shorter outfields and clearing them is not an issue for the batters. The playing conditions in these ballparks usually favour the batters as the wind is blowing away from the home plate and
helps in carrying the airborne hits further. This increases the probability of home-runs being hit. Even if the air is not that strong, ballparks with usually small outfields are located in hot areas and the ball tends to travel further in these conditions.
They are thus termed as “batter’s ballpark”.
The playing field can be segmented into the infield, the outfield and the foul territory. The infield is identical in every playing field. It is a square with base in every corner, namely home base, first base, second base and third base. The distance between
each base is 90 feet. The pitcher is positioned in the centre of the infield, 60.5 feet away from the home plate. The pitcher’s position is termed as the mound as is usually ten inches above the home plate. However, this height has been varied in the past
to facilitate the pitchers by increasing the height or hitters by reducing the height.
The outfield has varying dimensions across stadiums. However, a bare minimum of 250 feet from the home plate is recommended. This distance should be at least 325 feet along the foul lines (extended along first and third base) and 400 feet towards the centre
field. These distances vary in accordance to the nature of the ballpark, i.e. whether it is a hitter’s ballpark (shorter outfield) or a pitcher’s ballpark (longer outfield).
The outfield is surrounded by walls and they too vary in height. Also, the height of walls on the right field can vary from the height of walls on the left field, favouring the right-hander or the left-hander accordingly. The batting line-up is usually made
in accordance to the dimensions of the ballpark. There is a dirt track towards the end of the playing field which acts as a warning to the outfielders that the wall is nearing.
The foul territory is the space behind the first and the third base. A line is extended from these bases towards the outfield walls on either ends and if a hit lands behind these lines, it is deemed to be a foul hit. The batters cannot score from a foul
hit; however, the fielding team can fly out the batter if they catch an airborne hit in the foul territory.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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