Please help a DESHI understand/appreciate BASEBALL

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
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I have found out( the hard way) that it is a handicap in the American work place if you dont know enough about Baseball (esp. during this ongoing World Series) or Football (when the SuperBowl is on). Say you are taking a angrez client out to Lunch and he starts the conversation with “Hey did you watch the game last night”…you dont go…“You mean the India-NZ test match at Mohali”…When I was a FOB, I remember one guy(firangi) once started talking to me about Hockey and I was naive enough to think for a few moments that he was referring to field hockey.

Anywayz…coming back to baseball I think I have acquainted myself to most of the rules of the game and did actually enjoy the Yankees-Marlins World Series Opener last night… but there are a few things that still intrigues me about baseball (may be because I keep comparing the game to cricket)… Could someone please answer the following for me :
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(1) Is there such a thing as “field placement” in baseball. I dont hear the commentators talking about how there is a huge gap between two “fielders” . I dont even see the captain or coach directing a player to “field” at a certain location.

(2) When someone gets out, when does he come in to “bat” next. Does the batting order follow a pre-determined sequence. Can this sequence be changed midway through the game. What happens if someone gets injured and can’t “bat” for the rest of the game.

(3) How come I dont see any pitcher coming in to bat. Does that mean picthers only pitch.

(4) Is there a “toss” in baseball. Who determines who is take the field first.

(5) How is someone tagged out (equivalent to “run out” in cricket). On many occasions I have felt that the runner has comfortably reached the base before the guy at the base caught the ball…but the runner is given out… What could I be missing.

(6) What is “RBI” - that commentators keep referring to ?

(7) What are the duties of the “Bench Coach” (like that Zimmer guy of the Yankees) ?

(8) Say a new Baseball club starts somewhere. How is it decided whether the team would belong to “American League” or the “National League”.

(9) And this one must be dumbest question of them all… what constitutes the “post season” as opposed to the “pre-season”.
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(P.S: Some of the terms I have used above may not be used in “Baseball” . I have lifted them from Circket just to get my point across.Would appreciate if someone tells me the equivalent “Baseball” term)

Thanks in advance.

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Better still, could someone refer to me a website link that might have an answer to all the above questions.

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I'm a HUGE Yankees fan and I've been watching them play more or less for like 7 years now. I'll try to answer some of the questions, some of them I don't even know myself.

[quote]

(1) Is there such a thing as "field placement" in baseball. I dont hear the commentators talking about how there is a huge gap between two "fielders" . I dont even see the captain or coach directing a player to "field" at a certain location.
[/quote]

There is field placement. Baseball doesn't really have a team captain, the manager does most of the planning for where the players will be placed. The manager, from the dugout usually directs the players to play at a certain location depending on how they want to get the batter out and what type of pitch they are planning to throw to him.

quote When someone gets out, when does he come in to "bat" next. Does the batting order follow a pre-determined sequence. Can this sequence be changed midway through the game. What happens if someone gets injured and can't "bat" for the rest of the game.
[/quote]

There are nine players in the batting line up, the batting order is pre-determined by the manager before the game starts. I haven't seen the batting order change midway thru the game. If a player gets injured, they have back up "pinch hitters" who can be brought into the game to bat and play in the field in the place of the injured player.

quote How come I dont see any pitcher coming in to bat. Does that mean picthers only pitch.
[/quote]

In the American League, the pitcher doesn't bat during regular season. In the NL, the pitcher does bat as i understand it. In the world series, both pitchers bat (I think)

quote Is there a "toss" in baseball. Who determines who is take the field first.
[/quote]

There's no toss. Either you are the home team or you are the visiting team. If you are playing in the home-field, then you bat in the 2nd half of the inning.

quote How is someone tagged out (equivalent to "run out" in cricket). On many occasions I have felt that the runner has comfortably reached the base before the guy at the base caught the ball...but the runner is given out... What could I be missing.
[/quote]

Tagged out is by the glove. The guy at the base catches the ball and tags the runner before he touches the base, it's a critical decision by the 2nd base umpire usually in a stealing base situation. Sometimes i disagree with them too.

quote What is "RBI" - that commentators keep referring to ?
[/quote]

RBI = Runs Batted In. That's when a there are runners on the bases and somebody makes a hit and those base runners reach home plate...however many runs were made are the RBIs for that hitter who drove the base runners home. Or if there's a home run and however many runs are produced are the RBIs for the guy who hit the home run. I hope that made sense :D

quote What are the duties of the "Bench Coach" (like that Zimmer guy of the Yankees) ?
[/quote]

I have no idea. I think he's just there for moral support :D and advises the manager.

quote Say a new Baseball club starts somewhere. How is it decided whether the team would belong to "American League" or the "National League".
[/quote]

I have no idea.

quote And this one must be dumbest question of them all.... what constitutes the "post season" as opposed to the "pre-season".
[/quote]

Pre-season is when there are hundred some odd games that each team plays. In order to get to post season, you have to be in the 3 top teams that won the most games in the pre-season in that league. Then there's a wild-card team but i dunno how that works. I think thats when the team is tied iwth another to get into the post season. Whichever one wins gets to the post season. So from each league, AL and NL, four teams advance to the post season. In each league, two pairs of teams play against each other. Out of that, two teams are eliminated and the winning teams play against each other, and whichever team wins, advances to the World Series. The world series is always one AL team against one NL team. Hope that made sense :-P

Phew

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woops double post :blush:

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Re: Please help a DESHI understand/appreciate BASEBALL

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Some1: *

(7) What are the duties of the "Bench Coach" (like that Zimmer guy of the Yankees) ?

[/QUOTE]

...his job is to sledge the opposing pitchers and if possible start a brawl with him, even if there is a 40-year age gap....

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Thanks a lot Sehar for taking time off to answer my questions. Your answers made a lot of sense except a couple where I need more clarifications :

>>In the world series, both pitchers bat (I think)

I watched the second Yankees-Marlins game tonight and I did not see any of the pitchers bat.

>>Tagged out is by the glove. The guy at the base catches the ball and tags the runner before he touches the base, it's a critical decision by the 2nd base umpire usually in a stealing base situation. Sometimes i disagree with them too.

I again noted today that when the batter hits the ball and runs towards the first base, many times the "fielder" at the 1st base does not even have a foot on the bag and also does not touch the runner after he catches the ball, but the runner is still given out. So I am still not clear about the rules. I am sure I am missing something. Can you explain.

One more question : when the catcher (the equivalent of "wicketkeeper" in cricket) misses the pitch, can the batter run or can only base runners run for the miss. Can this happen irrespective of whether the pitch was a "strike" or "ball".

Thanks again.

7

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ~Sehar~: *
I'm a HUGE Yankees fan and I've been watching them play more or less for like 7 years now. I'll try to answer some of the questions, some of them I don't even know myself.

[/QUOTE]

cant blame you for that.. Yankees rule.. :)

[QUOTE]

There is field placement. Baseball doesn't really have a team captain, the manager does most of the planning for where the players will be placed. The manager, from the dugout usually directs the players to play at a certain location depending on how they want to get the batter out and what type of pitch they are planning to throw to him.

[/QUOTE]

there usually isnt a captain in baseball but just fyi Jeter is the second official captain of Yankees in the history of this ball club and babe ruth was the first.. :) .. field placement is usually inside or outside depending on who is batting / how late or early in the game you and how many bases are loaded / the first and third basemen sometimes move a little to the right or left depending on the individual who is batting too.

[QUOTE]

There are nine players in the batting line up, the batting order is pre-determined by the manager before the game starts. I haven't seen the batting order change midway thru the game. If a player gets injured, they have back up "pinch hitters" who can be brought into the game to bat and play in the field in the place of the injured player.

[/QUOTE]

pinch hitters and pinch runners are not only used to replace injured players but usually are strategically placed by the consent of coaches and the manager. Once the player is out/replaced by another player he gets out of the game for good.

[QUOTE]

In the American League, the pitcher doesn't bat during regular season. In the NL, the pitcher does bat as i understand it. In the world series, both pitchers bat (I think)

[/QUOTE]

National League (NL) makes the pitcher bat.
American League (AL) does not require the pitcher to bat
In world series cup depending on if the game is on AL's home ground or NL's home ground the appropriate rules apply.

[QUOTE]
I have no idea. I think he's just there for moral support :D and advises the manager.

[/QUOTE]

usually a team has one pitching coach and one hitting coach and a manager on the field to bring everybody together to make a good ball club out of everything. they are a little more than for moral support.. :)

Just a couple of addendums I thought were due.. hope you dont mind me interrupting.. :)

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Some1: *
Thanks a lot Sehar for taking time off to answer my questions. Your answers made a lot of sense except a couple where I need more clarifications :

>>In the world series, both pitchers bat (I think)

I watched the second Yankees-Marlins game tonight and I did not see any of the pitchers bat.

>>Tagged out is by the glove. The guy at the base catches the ball and tags the runner before he touches the base, it's a critical decision by the 2nd base umpire usually in a stealing base situation. Sometimes i disagree with them too.

I again noted today that when the batter hits the ball and runs towards the first base, many times the "fielder" at the 1st base does not even have a foot on the bag and also does not touch the runner after he catches the ball, but the runner is still given out. So I am still not clear about the rules. I am sure I am missing something. Can you explain.

One more question : when the catcher (the equivalent of "wicketkeeper" in cricket) misses the pitch, can the batter run or can only base runners run for the miss. Can this happen irrespective of whether the pitch was a "strike" or "ball".

Thanks again.
[/QUOTE]

Hey, no problem.

1st question: Yankee already answered that. Since they are playing on AL ground, the pitcher don't have to bat. But once they are playing in Florida, they will bat

2nd question: It has to be an out someway. A player can fly-out, strike out, or get run out by either tagging or the baseman touches the bag with the ball before the runner gets there. Maybe the situation you are taking about is not about the hitter running to first base getting out, maybe they got someone who was running towards the second base? I'm not sure exactly what senario you are talking about so i can't really say more than what i said above.

3rd question: If the catcher misses the ball, the runners already on the bases can advance. But the hitter cannot advance (go to first base) unless he get's a walk (4 balls), gets hit by a pitch (umpire decides if he should get the base), or he hits a fair ball. If the hitter does hit the ball very close to catcher in the "fair" territory then the hitter can advance, but will almost always be thrown out by the catcher.

Yankee - Thanks for the info. I also gained some knowledge by your post. Go yankees!! Jeter is an awesome player, and i'm not saying that b/c he's good looking. The guy is a good athlete. He does his job well in the field, produces hits and runs, and i always always always see him cheering the players on when he's not the one batting. He has very good team spirit.

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Some1, don't bother understanding baseball. If there is one peice of advise I can give you being born in the west. Baseball is really not worth your time. They play like 170 games in a year and 6 teams make the playoffs, what a waste of time!