The primary sport in the United States, Baseball, is a game as old as recorded history.
The culture of baseball is rich with evolved language and terminology that can be difficult for newcomers to understand, but luckily, this article was written with you in mind!
Baseball Terms 101
Whether you’re playing baseball for your local league or having a go at baseball online games, you’ll need to learn the lingo in order to be a well-versed baseball player.
Baseball Glossary for Beginners
Knowing baseball clips is all well and good, but it means nothing without understanding the fundamentals.
If you’re new to the sport, here’s what you need to know:
Strike Zone
The striker zone is the most important area in the game of baseball.
While the size of the strike zone varies by league, professional leagues will use a plate between 17-feet to 18-feet wide (depending on the season and weather) that is uniformly divided into two distinct sections.
The top part of the zone is known as “the batter’s box,” while the bottom half is referred to as “the strike zone.” This designated area is where baseball players will attempt to hit throughout their time at-bat.
To get comfortable with the strike zone and practice some skill-building, try playing a simple baseball video game or just start off with throwing around a ball in your backyard.
Hitters Boxes
Your batter’s box is normally marked by a square or rectangle that runs along the middle of the home plate.
The square or rectangle is usually painted yellow, white, or red, and the center point of your box is normally positioned behind the home plate.
To help with your offensive accuracy, you’ll want to make sure that you understand the elements that make up a strike zone.
You’ll also want to ensure that you get in the correct position for your swing to get maximum power and maximum distance on your baseball pitches.
The Pitcher’s Mound
The pitcher’s mound is the ideal position for pitchers. The mound is where the pitcher will start his delivery and get into his wind-up.
For maximum velocity on your pitches, you’ll want to be in a neutral position for your delivery to make sure that the ball gets to its peak speed when it leaves your hand.
The Batter’s Box
Your batter’s box is about one foot shorter than your strike zone, but that doesn’t mean that you can try and cheat it by hitting below the knees to get more home runs.
The batter’s box has a “cutout” at the bottom of it that is two feet and six inches wide. This measurement is known as the box’s top.
The Home Plate
The home plate is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the entire game.
The home plate is a rectangular plate that sits at the bottom of the striker’s and batter’s boxes. The plate will weigh around 20 pounds and have a diameter of 16 inches.
The umpire stands on top of home plate when he is officiating the game and will call if there are any illegal pitches by either team.