Leagues & Divisions:
- The MLB is split into the American League and National League.
- Each league is split into three divisions; East, West, and Central.
- There are five teams in each division,
American League:
- AL East:
- Baltimore Orioles
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Toronto Blue Jays
- AL Central:
- Chicago White Sox
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
- Minnesota Twins
- AL West:
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Angels
- Oakland Athletics
- Seattle Mariners
- Texas Rangers
National League:
- NL East
- Atlanta Braves
- Miami Marlins
- New York Mets
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Washington Nationals
- NL Central
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- St. Louis Cardinals
- NL West
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
RULES:
- Baseball is played between two teams of nine players each.
- In a baseball game, there are 9 innings.
- Each inning is divided into two halves.
- The top of the inning occurs first when the visiting team is up to bat.
- During the bottom of the inning, the home team is batting.
- Each inning is divided into two halves.
- Baseball is played on a diamond-shaped playing field.
- The four corners of the diamond which form the infield are:
- First base
- Second base
- Third base
- Home Plate
- In the middle of the infield is the pitcher’s mound where the pitcher will stand to deliver the ball to the batter.
- The pitching mound dimensions are: Diameter of 18 feet and 60.5 feet from home plate
- Pitching Rules:
- Once the pitcher is standing on the rubber
- A balk is considered when:
- An illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful.
- Flinch on the mound.
- Deceptive pick off attempt.
- Dropping the ball after becoming set.
- An illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems to be deceitful.
- There are 90 feet in between each base, and they are all drawn at a 90-degree angle to each other.
- Baserunning Rules:
- A baserunner must stay within the designated running lane. If the baserunner goes out of this running late, the umpire can declare him ‘out of the basepath’ and be ruled out.
- A runner may not pass another runner ahead of him or he will be called out.
- A runner in fair territory cannot make contact with a ball that has been hit in play unless it has been thrown.
- A coach may not make contact with a runner in fair territory.
- A player may not disrupt a fielder from making a play.
- If a fielder impedes a player, he is awarded the base.
- Baserunning Rules:
SCORING:
- A team is awarded one run for every player that crosses home plate safely.
- The game will extend past the nine innings if a tie has occurred.
- A runner will start on second base at the beginning of the extra innings.
- If the away team scores a run, the home team gets a chance to tie or win. If the home team scores first, it is considered a “walk-off win” ending the game immediately.
Replay Rules
- Coaches have one challenge in regular season games and two in all-star, playoff, and tiebreaker games.
- If the challenge is successful, the coach will then retain his challenge.
- If a challenge is unsuccessful, then the coach loses his challenge for the rest of the game.
- Managers must challenge the play within 20 seconds of the play
- The Crew chief can call for a video review in the 8th inning or later
- The New York City video crew must come to a decision within 2 minutes.
What is a Reviewable Call?
- Home Runs
- Foul and Fair balls behind the infield umpires
- Boundary calls
- Outfield Catches
- Baserunning calls
- Force out/Tag outs
- Players hit by a pitch
- Tag up calls
- Home plate collisions
- Double-Play interference
- Runner Placement
- Fan Interference
- Catcher Interference
Pitch Clock
- In an effort to make the pace of play pick up, in 2023, the MLB implemented a pitch clock. In between batters, there will be a 30-second timer. Between pitches, there will be a 15-second timer with bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base.
- The pitcher must start his motion before the expiration of the pitch timer. Pitchers who violate this will be charged with an automatic ball.
- Batters must be in the batter’s box and alert the pitcher by the 8-second mark or be When runners are on base, the timer resets if the pitcher attempts a pickoff move or steps off the rubber. Pitchers are limited to two disengagements per plate appearance. If a third attempt is made, the runner automatically advances to a base.
- Mound visits, injury timeouts, and offensive team timeouts do not count as disengagements.
- Teams get 5 mound visits before the ninth inning. If they use all five prior to the ninth inning, they will receive an extra, but it serves as an additional disengagement.
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