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Indian Ball is a "bat-and-ball" game featuring a baseball bat and ball. The sport originated in the late 1940s in St. Louis, Missouri so that if 18 players weren't available to play a regular baseball game, or a full sized field wasn't available, they could play an alternate game much like baseball but for fewer players. [1]
Indian Ball is played in any size area from a regular baseball field to a side yard or street. The game can be played with any number of players from normally 1 to ten. A ball may be put into play in one of three different ways. Pitched by a teammate, side tossed by a teammate or tossed by the batter themselves. If the ball is put in play and hits or is touched by the pitcher it is an automatic out. Only infielders can field balls in the infield and only outfielders are allowed to field balls in the outfield. If in any case an infielder plays a ball in the outfield or an outfielder plays a ball in the infield it is an automatic double (two points).
3 strikes equals an out and 4 balls equals an out so that pace is sped up and the batter cannot wait around for a perfect pitch. A ball that is caught by a player in all locations (fair, foul or deadzone) without hitting the ground results in an out. If a ball is hit in play in the infield and an infielder (regardless if it was touched or deflected off them or someone else) before it comes to a complete stop results in an out.
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If a ball is hit into or lands in the infield before the infielders get to it (regardless if it was touched or deflected of a player) results in a single (one point). A ball that is hit into the outfield (regardless of whether it is a grounder, line drive, or pop fly) but does not get behind an outfielder and is picked up by an outfielder before it comes to a stop (regardless of whether they or someone else touched it) it results in a single (1 Point). A ground ball that makes it into the outfield and is kept in front of an outfielder but is not picked up by the outfielder before it comes to a complete stop is a Double (2 Points). A fly ball that lands in the outfield in front of an outfielder and is not picked up by an outfielder before it comes to a stop (but does not get behind an outfielder) is a Double (2 Point). A ball that lands in front of an outfielder and then gets behind that outfielder (regardless of whether the outfielders touched it or not) and is not picked up before it comes to a stop equals a Triple (3 Points). A fly ball that lands in front of an outfielder and gets behind the outfielder and is not picked up by an outfielder before it comes to a stop is a Triple (3 Points). A fly ball that lands behind an outfielder (no matter the distance behind) without being touched by that outfielder and is not picked up before it comes to a stop is a Home Run (4 Points). Points that result in a negative result are when returning the ball back to the next batter, if the infielder who fielded the ball (when throwing from the spot where they fielded the ball) hits the bat with the ball the score of the batting team is reduced by one point (-1 Points). Another is When returning the ball back to the next batter, if the outfielder (when throwing from the spot where they fielded the ball) hits the bat with the ball the score of the batting team is reduced by two points (-2 Points).
In baseball statistics, a hit, also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches or passes first base after hitting the ball into fair territory with neither the benefit of an error nor a fielder's choice.
In the sport of baseball, each of the nine players on a team is assigned a particular fielding position when it is their turn to play defense. Each position conventionally has an associated number, for use in scorekeeping by the official scorer: 1 (pitcher), 2 (catcher), 3, 4, 5, 6 (shortstop), 7, 8, and 9. Collectively, these positions are usually grouped into three groups: the outfield, the infield, and the battery. Traditionally, players within each group will often be more able to exchange positions easily ; however, the pitcher and catcher are highly specialized positions and rarely will play at other positions.
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field, with only underhand pitches permitted. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hancock.
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch fly balls and ground balls then to return them to the infield for the out or before the runner advances, if there are any runners on the bases. As an outfielder, they normally play behind the six players located in the field. By convention, each of the nine defensive positions in baseball is numbered. The outfield positions are 7, 8 and 9. These numbers are shorthand designations useful in baseball scorekeeping and are not necessarily the same as the squad numbers worn on player uniforms.
The infield fly rule is a rule of baseball and softball that treats certain fly balls as though caught, before the ball is caught, even if the infielder fails to catch it or drops it on purpose. The umpire's declaration of an infield fly means that the batter is out regardless of whether the ball is caught. The rule exists solely to prevent the defense from executing a double play or triple play by deliberately failing to catch a ball that an infielder could catch with ordinary effort.
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3.
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base.
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
Throughout the history of baseball, the rules have frequently changed as the game has continued to evolve. The rules of baseball can vary slightly from league to league, with there being dozens of leagues worldwide. A few common rules most professional leagues have in common is that four balls is a base on balls, three strikes is a strikeout, and three outs end a half-inning. One example of differing rules in professional leagues is the use of a pitch clock, which in Major League Baseball (MLB) is in place to speed up the pace of the game by forcing pitchers to pitch in a 15–20 second window, while in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) no such rule exists.
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers to less organized venues for activities like sandlot ball.
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a foul ball counts as a strike against the batter, unless there are already two strikes on the batter, with special rules applying to foul tips and foul bunts. Fly balls are those hit in an arcing manner, with pop-ups being a subset of foul balls that do not travel far. Line drives are batted balls hit on a straight line trajectory, while ground balls are hit at a low trajectory, contact the ground shortly after being hit, and then either roll or bounce. Batted balls, especially line drives, can present a hazard to players, umpires, and spectators, as people have been seriously injured or killed after being struck by batted balls.
The Knickerbocker Rules are a set of baseball rules formalized by William R. Wheaton and William H. Tucker of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845. They have previously been considered to be the basis for the rules of the modern game, although this is disputed. The rules are informally known as the "New York style" of baseball, as opposed to other variants such as the "Massachusetts Game" and "Philadelphia town ball".
This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.