2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules

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2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page iOFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES2018 Edition

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page iiOfficial Baseball Rules2018 EditionOFFICIAL PLAYING RULES COMMITTEESandy Alderson, ChairChris AntonettiSam BernabeJon DanielsJerry DipotoBrian GormanJohn MozeliakJohn SchuerholzJoe TorreAmateur Baseball Advisory MemberMike GaskiCommittee SecretaryPaul V. Mifsud, Jr.EditorTom LepperdCopyright 2018by the Office of the Commissioner of BaseballAll rights reserved.No part of the Official Baseball Rules may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval systemnow known or to be invented, without permission in writing fromthe Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.The Major League Baseball silhouetted batter logo is aregistered trademark of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc.Cover photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos.ISBN 978-0-9961140-6-6Printed in the United States of America

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page iiiOFFICIAL BASEBALL RULESRecodified, amended and adopted by the Professional Baseball PlayingRules Committee at New York, N.Y., December 21, 1949; amended at NewYork, N.Y., February 5, 1951; Tampa, Fla., March 14, 1951; Chicago, Ill.,March 3, 1952; New York, N.Y., November 4, 1953; New York, N.Y.,December 8, 1954; Chicago, Ill., November 20, 1956; Tampa, Fla., March30-31, 1961; Tampa, Fla., November 26, 1961; New York, N.Y., January 26,1963; San Diego, Calif., December 2, 1963; Houston, Tex., December 1,1964; Columbus, Ohio, November 28, 1966; Pittsburgh, Pa., December 1,1966; Mexico City, Mexico, November 27, 1967; San Francisco, Calif.,December 3, 1968; New York, N.Y., January 31, 1969; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,December 1, 1969; Los Angeles, Calif., November 30, 1970; Phoenix, Ariz.,November 29, 1971; St. Petersburg, Fla., March 23, 1972; Honolulu, Hawaii,November 27, 1972; Houston, Tex., December 3 and 7, 1973; New Orleans,La., December 2, 1974; Hollywood, Fla., December 8, 1975; Los Angeles,Calif., December 6, 1976; Honolulu, Hawaii, December 5, 1977; Orlando,Fla., December 4, 1978; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, December 3, 1979;Dallas, Tex., December 8, 1980; Hollywood, Fla., December 7, 1981;Honolulu, Hawaii, December 5, 1982; Nashville, Tenn., December 5, 1983;New York, N.Y., January 8, 1985; New York, N.Y., March 27, 1986;Hollywood, Fla., December 9, 1986; New York, N.Y., November 23, 1987;New York, N.Y., January 26, 1989; Chicago, Ill., December 3, 1990; Miami,Fla., December 5, 1991; Louisville, Ky., December 4, 1992; Atlanta, Ga.,December 12, 1993; New York, N.Y., January 30, 1996; Mail vote, January2006; Teleconference, December 20, 2006; Teleconference, February 5,2008; Las Vegas, Nev., December 9, 2008; Teleconference, May 26, 2009;Teleconference, January 25, 2010; Lake Buena Vista, Fla., December 8,2010; Teleconference, February 16, 2011; Dallas, Tex., December 7, 2011;Nashville, Tenn., December 5, 2012; Orlando, Fla., December 11, 2013;Recodified, amended and adopted at San Diego, Calif., December 10, 2014;amended at Nashville, Tenn., December 9, 2015; Teleconference, January11, 2017; Lake Buena Vista, Fla., December 13, 2017; Mail vote, February2018.iii

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page ivFOREWORDThis code of rules governs the playing of baseball games by professionalteams of Major League Baseball and the leagues that are members of theNational Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.We recognize that many amateur and non-professional organizations playtheir games under professional rules and we are happy to make our rulesavailable as widely as possible. It is well to remember that specifications asto fields, equipment, etc., may be modified to meet the needs of each group.Money fines, long-term suspensions and similar penalties imposed by thiscode are not practicable for amateur groups, but officers and umpires of suchorganizations should insist on strict observance of all the rules governing theplaying of the game.Baseball not only has maintained its position as the National Game of theUnited States, but also has become an International Game being played inmore than 100 countries. The popularity of the game will grow only so longas its players, managers, coaches, umpires and administrative officersrespect the discipline of its code of rules.iv

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page vIMPORTANT NOTES(1)The Playing Rules Committee, at its December 2014 meeting, voted toreorganize and recodify the Official Baseball Rules into a more logicaland organized manner. No wording or language was changed (otherthan the amendments made for that year); only the order and placement of the rules were modified. In this edition Comments to theOfficial Rules are highlighted in a shaded box rather than beingprinted in smaller typeface as had been the case in prior to 2015.(2)The Playing Rules Committee, at its December 1977 meeting, voted toincorporate the Notes/Case Book/Comments section directly into theOfficial Baseball Rules at the appropriate places. Basically, the CaseBook interprets or elaborates on the basic rules and in essence have thesame effect as rules when applied to particular sections for which theyare intended.This arrangement is designed to give quicker access to any written language pertaining to an Official Rule and does not require a reader torefer to different sections of the Official Baseball Rules book in considering the application of a particular rule.v

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page viSummary of Rule Changes for 2018The Official Playing Rules Committee made the following changes thatwill be in effect for the 2018 season: Amended Rule 4.08(c) to change the length of time between doubleheaders. Amended Rule 5.07(b) regarding warm-up pitches that a pitcher maythrow. Amended Rule 5.09(c)(1) Comment regarding a runner who takes a “flying start” from behind a base when tagging up; namely, such violation isnow considered an appeal play. Re-titled Rule 5.10(l) and amended Rule 5.10(l) Comment regardingwarm-up pitches when a substitute pitcher enters a game in the situationdescribed in the last paragraph of Rule 5.10(l) Comment. Established new Rule 5.10(m) limiting the number of mound visits pergame. Amended Rule 6.01(a)(5) Comment to clarify that a runner who is returning to his last legally touched base after being put out is considered thesame as a runner who continues to advance after being put out relative tointerfering with a subsequent play. Amended Rule 8.02(c) to set limits on when a ball/strike count may becorrected. Amended Definitions of Terms—Spectator Interference (“Interference,”Part (d))—to include additional situations when Spectator Interferencemay be invoked.In addition, an Index has been compiled and is located at the end of thisbook. Minor revisions were made to Diagrams #1, #2, and #3.vi

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page viiNOTE: Any reference in these Official Baseball Rules to “he,”“him,” or “his” shall be deemed to be a reference to “she,” “her,”or “hers,” as the case may be, when the person is a female.vii

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page viiiTable of Contents2018 Official Baseball Rules1.00 – OBJECTIVES OF THE GAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12.00 – THE PLAYING FIELD2.012.022.032.042.05Layout of the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Home Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Pitcher’s Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Benches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233443.00 – EQUIPMENT AND e Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Bat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Player Uniforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Catcher’s Mitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7First Baseman’s Glove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Fielding Gloves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Pitcher’s Glove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Helmets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Undue Commercialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Equipment on the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104.00 – GAME e Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Field Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Exchange of Lineup Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weather and Field Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Special Ground Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .No Fraternization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doubleheaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii1112121414151515

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page ix5.00 – PLAYING THE GAME5.01Starting the Game (“Play Ball!”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175.02Fielding Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175.03Base Coaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175.04Batting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Batting Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( b) The Batter’s Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(c) Completing Time at Bat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .When the Batter Becomes a Runner . . . . . . . . . .18181821215.06Running the Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Occupying the Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( b) Advancing Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(c) Dead Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252525305.07Pitching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Legal Pitching Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(1) The Windup Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( 2) The Set Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( b) Warm-Up Pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(c) Pitcher Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(d) Throwing to the Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(e) Effect of Removing Pivot FootFrom Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(f ) Ambidextrous Pitchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333333343535365.0536365.08How a Team Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375.09Making an Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39(a) Retiring the Batter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39(b) Retiring a Runner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43(c) Appeal Plays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48(d) Effect of Preceding Runner’sFailure to Touch a Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50(e) Retiring the Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50ix

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page x5.105.115.12Substitutions and Pitching Changes(Including Visits to the Mound ) . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Designated Hitter Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Calling “Time” and Dead Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596.00 – IMPROPER PLAY, ILLEGAL ACTION,AND MISCONDUCT6.016.026.036.04Interference, Obstruction, and CatcherCollisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Batter or Runner Interference . . . . . . . . . . .( b) Fielder Right of Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(c) Catcher Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(d) Unintentional Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(e) Spectator Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(f ) Coach and Umpire Interference . . . . . . . . .(g) Interference With Squeeze Play orSteal of Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(h) Obstruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( i) Collisions at Home Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(j) Sliding to Bases onDouble Play Attempts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pitcher Illegal Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Balks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( b) Illegal Pitches With Bases Unoccupied . .(c) Pitching Prohibitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Batter Illegal Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(a) Batter Out for Illegal Action . . . . . . . . . . . .(b) Batting Out of Turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Unsportsmanlike Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .616164656667686868707172727575787879827.00 – ENDING THE GAME7.017.02Regulation Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Suspended, Postponed, and Tie Games . . . . . . . . 85x

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page xi7.037.04Forfeited Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Protesting Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908.00 – THE UMPIRE8.018.028.038.04Umpire Qualifications and Authority . . . . . . . . . .Appeal of Umpire Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Umpire Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92929596GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO UMPIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . 979.00 – THE OFFICIAL 9.129.139.149.159.169.179.189.199.20Official Scorer (General Rules) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Official Scorer Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Official Scorer Report (Additional Rules) . . . . 105Runs Batted In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Base Hits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Determining Value of Base Hits . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Stolen Bases and Caught Stealing . . . . . . . . . . . 113Sacrifices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Putouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Assists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Double and Triple Plays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Wild Pitches and Passed Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Base on Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Strikeouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Earned Runs and Runs Allowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Winning and Losing Pitcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Shutouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Saves for Relief Pitchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135xi

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page xii9.219.229.23Determining Percentage Records . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Minimum Standards for IndividualChampionships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Guidelines for Cumulative PerformanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138DEFINITIONS OF TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1531 Diagram of the Playing Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1542 Layout at Home Plate, 1st, 2nd,and 3rd Bases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1553 Layout of Pitching Mound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1564 Dimensions of Fielder’s Glove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1575 The Strike Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159xii

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page 1Rule 1.01 to 1.061.00 – OBJECTIVES OF THE GAME1.01 Baseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, underdirection of a manager, played on an enclosed field in accordance withthese rules, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires.1.02 The offensive team’s objective is to have its batter become a runner,and its runners advance.1.03 The defensive team’s objective is to prevent offensive players frombecoming runners, and to prevent their advance around the bases.1.04 When a batter becomes a runner and touches all bases legally heshall score one run for his team.1.05 The objective of each team is to win by scoring more runs than theopponent.1.06 The winner of the game shall be that team which shall have scored,in accordance with these rules, the greater number of runs at the conclusion of a regulation game.1

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 PM Page 2Rule 2.012.00 – THE PLAYING FIELD2.01 Layout of the FieldThe field shall be laid out according to the instructions below, supplemented by the diagrams in Appendices 1, 2, and 3.The infield shall be a 90-foot square. The outfield shall be the areabetween two foul lines formed by extending two sides of thesquare, as in diagram in Appendix 1 (page 153). The distance fromhome base to the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on fairterritory shall be 250 feet or more. A distance of 320 feet or morealong the foul lines, and 400 feet or more to center field is preferable. The infield shall be graded so that the base lines and homeplate are level. The pitcher’s plate shall be 10 inches above thelevel of home plate. The degree of slope from a point 6 inches infront of the pitcher’s plate to a point 6 feet toward home plate shallbe 1 inch to 1 foot, and such degree of slope shall be uniform. Theinfield and outfield, including the boundary lines, are fair territoryand all other area is foul territory.It is desirable that the line from home base through the pitcher’splate to second base shall run East-Northeast.It is recommended that the distance from home base to the backstop,and from the base lines to the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction on foul territory shall be 60 feet or more. See Appendix 1.When location of home base is determined, with a steel tape measure 127 feet, 33 8 inches in desired direction to establish secondbase. From home base, measure 90 feet toward first base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward first base; the intersection ofthese lines establishes first base. From home base, measure 90 feettoward third base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward thirdbase; the intersection of these lines establishes third base. The distance between first base and third base is 127 feet, 33 8 inches. Allmeasurements from home base shall be taken from the point wherethe first and third base lines intersect.The catcher’s box, the batters’ boxes, the coaches’ boxes, the threefoot first base lines and the next batter’s boxes shall be laid out asshown in the diagrams in Appendices 1 and 2.2

2018 Official Baseball Rules 2018 Official Baseball Rules 2/27/18 2:16 P

vi The Official Playing Rules Committee made the following changes that will be in effect for the 2018 season: † Amended Rule 4.08(c) to change the length of time between doublehead- ers. † Amended Rule 5.07(b) regarding warm-up pitches that a pitcher may throw. † Amended Rule 5.09(c)(1) Comment regarding a runner who takes a “fly- ing start” from behind a base when tagging up .

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