Baseball5 - Lesson 2: The Rulebook

Summary

This second WBSC Baseball5 lesson walks through the rulebook, from the compact playing field to the ways a game is won. It is an instructional webinar rather than coverage of a particular match, so it contains no game timeline or scored event.

Field and Teams

• The infield is a square, with bases 13 metres apart. Fair territory extends 18 metres per side.
• A marked no-hit zone lies in front of home plate: 4.5 metres for older players and 3 metres for U15 players and younger.
• Bases are marked on the ground. First base is double-wide to reduce collisions, and a batter-runner who reaches it must remain in the designated safe area in foul territory.
• Teams have five active players and may carry up to three reserves. Official WBSC competitions use mixed-gender rosters, with at least two players of each gender on the field.
• A game lasts five innings. In a best-of-three match, the team that wins two games wins the match. The home team begins on defense; the visitors bat first.

Hitting and Scoring

A batter must stay inside the batter’s box until the ball leaves their hand, announce which hand they will hit with, and strike the ball with a palm or fist. A missed swing is an out—there are no strikes for adult players.

For a legal hit, the ball’s first bounce must be in fair territory beyond the no-hit zone. Adult players must hit with enough force for the ball to reach the outfield fence; U15 players and younger need only send it beyond the infield line. A defender touching a hit ball in fair territory before it reaches the fence makes the ball valid and the play live.

A batter is out for an illegal hit. U15 players and younger get a second attempt after an illegal first hit; older players do not. A run scores when a player touches first, second, third, and home in order without being put out.

Getting Outs

The lesson demonstrates several defensive outs: forcing a runner at a base, catching a hit ball before it lands, and tagging a runner who is off a base. A first baseman can also tag a batter-runner who leaves the safe area after reaching first.

Players can be put out for:

• Stepping on the batter’s-box line while hitting
• Being struck by a batted ball
• Leaving a base before contact
• Hitting the ball directly into or over the fence
• Hitting the ball so its first bounce lands in foul territory

Unlike in baseball or softball, only the first bounce determines whether the ball is fair or foul; the ball may later roll into foul ground and still be a valid hit.

Other possible outs include deliberately faking a hit, passing a teammate on the bases, failing to avoid a collision, or having two runners occupy the same base—the trailing runner is out. Batting out of order is handled only if the defense alerts the officials before the next batter enters. If upheld, the play’s result is cancelled and the proper batter is called out.

Dead Balls and Unusual Situations

When a valid hit leaves the field, the ball is dead. If it goes out without a defensive error, the batter advances to first and other runners advance one base. If it leaves after a defender touches it, the same advancement applies. An obstruction call also stops play and awards runners the bases they would have reached without the obstruction.

A missed throw or a missed catch on a teammate’s throw may be ruled a defensive error by the field official. In that case, each runner is awarded an extra base.

The lesson also explains a special bases-loaded, two-out situation: when the runner at third is next in the batting order, that player bats and the other runners advance. If the team has no reserve, the first out of the inning becomes the pinch runner at first.

A runner who interferes with a defensive play is out. Players may request time, but the ball remains live until an official grants it. The lesson warns that granting time before a play is over can unfairly prevent a defensive play.

Unsportsmanlike conduct can lead to ejection and, in tournaments, an automatic suspension of at least one match.

Substitutions and Game Endings

Tactical substitutions are made when a team switches from offense to defense. A reserve who leaves after entering cannot return, but a starting player may re-enter in their original batting-order spot. An injured player may be replaced at any time but cannot return; in a best-of-three match, the injury replacement rule applies for the entire series.

A game normally ends after five innings, with the team scoring more runs declared the winner. If the home team leads after the visitors complete the top of the fifth, the game ends after four and a half innings. The run-ahead rule ends a game when a team leads by 15 runs after three innings or 10 after four.

If the game is tied after five innings, extra innings continue until there is a winner:

• The first extra inning starts with a runner on first.
• The second starts with runners on first and second.
• The third and later innings start with the bases loaded.

Presenters and Sources

• Presenter: Unidentified WBSC webinar narrator
• Source: WBSC Baseball5 Rulebook and WBSC Baseball5 webinar materials