From Brad Marchand,
Your Guide to Baseball.
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If you've ever sat and watched a baseball game and been totally confused about some of the terms you were hearing, this article is for you. One of the main reasons those terms have confused you is that baseball broadcasters tend to assume all fans know the rules that come into play during a game, but clearly that is not always the case. So we've assmebled the most common potentially confusing rules in this Basic Baseball Rules Frequently Asked Questions.

(1) What is a save and how is it determined who gets credit for one? For a save, a pitcher must finish, but not start, a game his team wins, and he can’t be the winning pitcher. One way to get a save is to pitch effectively for the final three innings regardless of the score. More commonly, a pitcher gets a save if he enters the game with a lead his team never loses and the potential tying run is on base, at bat, or on deck. So if a reliever enters with the bases loaded and finishes the game, his team can’t have more than a 5-run lead to get a save.

(2) What is a balk? Put simply, a balk is a move by the pitcher judged to be deceptive to a base runner. If a balk is called, all runners advance one base. Balks can be called if a pitcher does any of the following: starts and then stops his pitching motion; fakes a throw to first base without first stepping off the pitching rubber; if left-handed, throws to first after bringing his right knee behind an imaginary line drawn from the rubber to first base; drops the ball while standing on the rubber.


(3) What is a suicide squeeze? If there is a runner at third base and fewer than two outs, a team can attempt to "squeeze" the runner home. As soon as the pitcher commits to throwing home, the runner from third breaks for the plate as if stealing home. The batter bunts at the pitch and must make contact at any cost. If the ball is bunted fair, the runner will likely score easily. If the batter misses the ball, the runner will be easily tagged out.

(4) What is a grand slam? A grand slam is a home run hit with the bases loaded. The far-too-often heard phrase "grand slam home run" is redundant because the home run is already built into the meaning of grand slam.

(5) What are closers, set-up men, middle relievers, and long relievers? These are not official positions but managerial usage patterns for relief pitchers. The reliever most likely to be used in save situations is called the "closer." The relievers most likely used in the 7th and 8th innings immediately before the closer are the "set-up men." The relievers used in the middle innings are "middle relievers" and those used when the starting pitcher gets knocked out early are the "long relievers."

(6) What happens if a baserunner is hit with a batted ball? It doesn't happen too often, but it can be very confusing when it does. If a base runner is hit with a batted ball in fair territory before it has touched or passed an infielder, the runner is automatically called out and the batter is credited with a hit.

(7) What is the infield fly rule? If a batter hits a pop-up to the infield with runners on first and second or with the bases loaded and fewer than two outs, an infielder could drop the ball intentionally, turn a double (or triple) play, and take the offensive team out of the inning. In this situation, if the umpire determines the pop-up could be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, he will invoke the infield fly rule. The batter is automatically out and the runners may advance at their own risk.

(8) What are a no-hitter and a perfect game and what's the difference? A no-hitter is an entire game pitched without allowing a base hit to the opposing team. A perfect game is the same thing, but nobody even reaches base: no hits, no walks, no errors, nothing. In a perfect game, every single batter that comes to the plate makes an out. Both of these can be individual (one pitcher) or shared (multiple pitchers). A pitcher could throw a no-hitter and lose the game, but that is impossible with a perfect game.

(9) What is a ground rule double? Ground rules are rules governing balls in play in different ballparks. Ground rule doubles are batted balls that become automatic doubles (batter awarded 2nd base, all runners advance two bases) because of the ground rules. The most common ground rule double is a double anywhere: a batted ball lands in fair territory and then bounces out of play. Other ground rule doubles could involve hanging speakers in domed stadiums, obstructions in the bullpen, or other issues involving specific ballparks.

(10) What's the deal with the foul pole and foul line? These are misnomers. If any part of a batted ball hits any part of the foul line, it is fair and in play. If a batted ball hits the foul pole, it is not only fair, it is an automatic home run.