A great overview for novices and a precise reference guide for devoted fans! Admit it: Even if you’re a die-hard fan of our national pastime, sometimes an umpire’s call can be baffling. And for newer fans, Major League Baseball’s nuanced rules—developed and revised over many decades—can be downright perplexing. Now updated throughout with the latest changes, including specifications about the universal designated hitter and limits on defensive shifts, the Baseball Field Guide lays out every rule in plain English. You’ll learn to answer all these questions and more: Do you know the twenty-two ways a pitcher can be charged with a balk? Can you list all seven ways a batter can safely get to first base? Obstruction or interference—who’s at fault when things get rough? What are the rules that apply before and after a game? What happens when spectators are the ones who misbehave? How well do you understand the infamous Infield Fly Rule (and why does it exist)? This is the clearest explanation anywhere of the rules of baseball. Designed for quick and intuitive searches, this entertaining reference will help you understand every aspect of the game and add to your enjoyment of the sport.

"A story about baseball. About fathers and sons. It's about memory and identity, and an insidious illness that can rob a person of both."--T.p. 4

Why do we sometimes refer to a left-handed pitcher as a “southpaw?” Why are major league pitchers normally limited to 100 pitches per game? Why was Jack Roosevelt Robinson the first African-American ever to play as part of an official lineup for a team in Major League Baseball? Why is a baseball field sometimes referred to as a diamond? This book provides over 100 questions and detailed answers concerning the traditions, rules, and history of the national pastime. Organized by the sport’s five eras—Dead Ball, Live Ball, Golden Age, Expansion, and Steroid Era—it answers questions about hitting, pitching, fielding, base running, managing, scouting and ownership that vex even the most ardent fans of the game. Moreover, this book is an appreciation of how baseball’s traditions began.

The novel that inspired Field of Dreams: “A lyrical, seductive, and altogether winning concoction.” —The New York Times Book Review One of Sports Illustrated’s 100 Greatest Sports Books “If you build it, he will come.” When Ray Kinsella hears these mysterious words spoken in the voice of an Iowa baseball announcer, he is inspired to carve a baseball diamond in his cornfield. It is a tribute to his hero, the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson, whose reputation was forever tarnished by the scandalous 1919 World Series. What follows is a timeless story that is “not so much about baseball as it is about dreams, magic, life, and what is quintessentially American” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). “A triumph of hope.” —The Boston Globe “A moonlit novel about baseball, dreams, family, the land, and literature.” —Sports Illustrated

Now in its third edition—a clear guide to the complete rules of baseball, updated in 2018! Admit it: Even if you’re a diehard fan of our national pastime, sometimes an umpire’s call can be a little baffling. And for newer fans, Major League Baseball’s nuanced rules—developed and revised over decades—can be downright perplexing. Now updated throughout with the latest changes, including the no-pitch intentional walk and “bona fide slides” for interferences on a double play, the Baseball Field Guide explains every rule in plain English: Rules that apply before, during, and after the game Equipment specifications and field requirements Duties of the coaches, managers, and umpires Rules for spectators (yes, they have rules, too!) The clearest explanation anywhere of the infamous Infield Fly Rule, and much more! Designed for quick and intuitive searches, this entertaining reference will help you understand every aspect of the game and add to your enjoyment of the sport.

An important resource for umpires, coaches, leagues, and serious fans of Major League Baseball (MLB), this handbook lists the dos and don'ts of the national pastime. Fully up-to-date, this book contains the official and sanctioned MLB rules and their interpretations per the Playing Rules Committee, the sole group that determines baseball's regulations.