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Pro Baseball Rules
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
InstructionsWood BatsStep 1: One of the most fundamental differences is that MLB requires all hitters to use wooden bats, as opposed to minor league hitters, who typically use metal versions. The wooden varieties typically are made from ash and maple, while most amateur organizations use metal bats to reduce the high cost of replacing wooden bats, which often split.
Metal bats are not permitted in professional baseball, in part because of tradition, and in part because many believe it allows a hitter to hit a ball further or harder.
Designated HitterStep 1: The designated hitter rule was adopted by MLB's American League in 1973. It allows each team to use a player to hit in place of the pitcher. Accordingly, this hitter does not play a position in the field.
The change was designed to increase offense in the game by having nine legitimate hitters in the lineup, as pitchers typically are weak hitters. Most professional leagues now use the designated hitter, though the MLB's National League has never followed suit.
When teams from opposing leagues play one another they follow the rules of the league whose team is hosting the game.
Split SeasonsStep 1: The split season is used in minor league baseball. It began in 1981, when MLB players staged a strike. Now, a team is declared the league or division winner at the end of the first half of the season, and then again at the end of the second half of the season. If two different teams win then they play one another for the championship. If the same team wins both halves then it is automatically crowned champion.
Game LengthStep 1: A regulation professional game lasts nine innings, as opposed to youth baseball, in which games last for six or seven innings. In addition, professional baseball does not have a "mercy rule," which calls for a game to be stopped if one team leads by enough runs by a certain inning.
If a game cannot be played to completion (weather being the most common reason), it is recognized as an official completed game if five innings were played (if the team that bats in the bottom of an inning is ahead after 4 1/2, that counts as five innings). This used to apply to all games; however, MLB changed the rules for playoff games following the 2008 season. Now, all playoff games must be played in their entirety, even if that means continuing them on a different day.
Also, professional baseball games never end in ties; a game will last for as many innings as is necessary for one team to emerge with more runs at the end of an inning.
PlayoffsStep 1: Professional playoff series are best-of-five or best-of-seven competitions. In most minor leagues, playoffs series are best-of-five affairs, in which the first two games are played at one team's home field and the next three are played at the other's home field.
MLB does it differently, playing a best-of-five opening playoff series using a 2-2-1 format (two games at each home field with the fifth, if needed, played at the first site). The remaining major league series are best-of-seven and employ a 2-3-2 format.
A best-of-five series ends once one team wins three games, and a best-of-seven ends when one team wins four.
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