MLB 101

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.  
• 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.
• 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.

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 8^th 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.