The Baseball Rules Every Parent Needs to Know

Baseball has a reputation for complexity, and it's somewhat deserved. But as a youth baseball parent, you only need to understand a core set of rules to follow the game and support your child. Here's your essential guide.

The Basic Structure

A baseball game consists of innings. Each team bats until they make three outs, then the other team bats. This is one inning. Most youth games are 6 innings; some have time limits instead.

The team with more runs at the end wins. Simple.

Getting Outs

There are several ways to record an out:

Strikeout: Three strikes. A strike is a swing and miss, a pitch in the strike zone that the batter doesn't swing at, or a foul ball (except on the third strike — you can't strike out on a foul ball).

Fly Out: A batted ball caught in the air by a fielder before it touches the ground.

Force Out: When a runner must advance to the next base because the batter becomes a runner, and a fielder with the ball touches that base before the runner arrives.

Tag Out: A fielder with the ball tags a runner who is not on a base.

Scoring Runs

A run scores when a player advances around all four bases — first, second, third, and home plate — and touches home plate. Runners advance when the batter hits the ball, when a walk is issued, or when a wild pitch or passed ball occurs.

Balls and Strikes

The count is always expressed as balls-strikes. A 3-2 count (three balls, two strikes) is a full count — the next pitch decides the at-bat. Four balls = walk (the batter advances to first base). Three strikes = strikeout.

Common Situations That Confuse New Parents

The Infield Fly Rule: When there are runners on first and second (or bases loaded) with fewer than two outs, and the batter hits a pop-up in the infield, the batter is automatically out. This prevents fielders from intentionally dropping the ball to get multiple outs.

Tagging Up: After a fly ball is caught, runners may advance to the next base if they wait until the ball is caught and then run. This is called tagging up.

Interference: A runner or batter who interferes with a fielder making a play is called out. This includes running into a fielder or a batter interfering with the catcher.