How Many Rules Are There In Baseball?

There are a lot of rules in baseball, but that’s what makes the game so interesting. Learn all about the rules of baseball so you can understand the game better.

The Three Types of Baseball Games

There are three types of baseball games: regulation, exhibition, and postseason. A regulation game is when both teams have played the same number of innings. An exhibition game is when one team has more innings than the other. A postseason game is when one team has more runs than the other.

Regulation Game

A regulation game of baseball is played between two teams, each composed of nine players, for nine innings. An inning is divided into two halves. The visiting team bats in the first half of every inning and the home team bats in the second half. In each half, each team gets three outs. The objective of the game is to score more runs than your opponent.

Exhibition Game

An exhibition game is a game played between two clubs not competing against each other for first place in their respective division or league. In Major League Baseball (MLB), spring training games and the All-Star Game are considered exhibition games. The teams that play in these exhibition games typically consist of a mix of starters and reserves. The players who start the game are usually the starters, while the players who enter the game later on are usually the reserves.

Playoff Game

In the playoffs, teams compete in a best-of-seven series. The team that wins four games advances to the next round, while the losing team is eliminated. The playoffs are single-elimination, meaning that once a team loses, it is out of the tournament.

The playoffs are divided into two rounds: the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Each series is a best-of-seven matchup between the two teams with the best record in each league. The winner of each series advances to the World Series.

The World Series is a best-of-seven matchup between the winners of the ALCS and NLCS. The team with the better regular-season record has home-field advantage in the World Series.

The Two Leagues

Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each, who take turns batting and fielding. The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the game is to score runs by hitting the ball and running around the four bases set at the corners of the infield.

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League.

At one time, the American League and National League each had an equal number of teams; however, since 1999 they have been unequal: there are currently 15 teams in the AL and only 13 in the NL. Thus, MLB uses a balanced schedule where each team plays 20 interleague games per season against teams in the other league. In addition, all AL teams play 18 games against 5 teams within their own division: 3 games against each team in their division that they do not share a common off-day with, plus 6 additional “geographic” rivals: 2 games home-and-away against 1 team from each division that they share a common off-day with (a “natural rival” based on their location), plus 2 games home-and-away against 1 wildcard team from any division (within or outside of their own). The AL Central is particularly unusual: its 5 current members are located within close proximity to each other (3 of them within 500 miles/805 kilometers) and share common off days. As a result, all 5 play 18 games per season against natural rivals Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals while also playing 10 games (5 home-and-away) against 2 additional wildcard rivals (Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers). The remaining 8 AL clubs are located farther apart from one another; all play 14 games per season against natural rivals and 4 games home-and-away against 1 team from another division that they share a common off day with.

The current American League champions are the Boston Red Sox.

National League

In baseball, the National League (NL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada, the other being the American League. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) after a disagreement over league structure, the NL is Sometimes called the “Senior Circuit”, while MLB as a whole is sometimes called the “National Game”.

The NL originally contained 12 teams in two divisions, but added a third division in 1994. Unlike the AL—which currently has 15 teams—the NL has had 8 teams in each division since 1998.

The Three Divisions

Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding. The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the game is to score runs by hitting the ball and then running around the bases, while the fielding team tries to prevent this by getting batters or baserunners “out”. There are three divisions in baseball: the American League (AL), the National League (NL), and the Minor Leagues.

East Division

In Major League Baseball, the East Division is one of three divisions that were created when the league realigned itself in 1969. The East Division includes teams from the American League East and the National League East.

The East Division is home to some of the most storied franchises in baseball, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. These teams have a long history of success and rivalry, and the divisional race is always hotly contested.

Some of the best players in baseball have come from the East Division, including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Roger Clemens. The East Division has also produced its share of World Series champions, with the Yankees winning a record 27 times and the Phillies taking home two titles.

Central Division

In baseball, the Central Division is one of three divisions that make up the American League (AL) East. The Central Division includes the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins.

The winner of the Central Division is determined by the team with the best record in their head-to-head matchups against teams in their own division. In a given season, each team plays every other team in their division 19 times (81 total games).

The Central Division was created in 1994 when Major League Baseball (MLB) realigned its divisions so that there were an even number of teams in each league. The other AL Divisions are the East and West.

West Division

In baseball, the West Division is one of three divisions in each league of Major League Baseball. The division consists of five teams in the American League and six teams in the National League.

The West Division is currently made up of the following teams:

American League:
-Los Angeles Angels
-Houston Astros
-Oakland Athletics
-Seattle Mariners
-Texas Rangers

National League:
-Arizona Diamondbacks
-Colorado Rockies
-Los Angeles Dodgers
-San Diego Padres
-San Francisco Giants
-St. Louis Cardinals

The Four Teams

In baseball, four teams play, each represented by its own color. The game is made up of innings, and each team tries to score the most runs in each inning. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Bronx, New York City. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being their NL counterpart, the New York Mets. The Yankees began play in the 1901 season as the Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the Baltimore Orioles of today). Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise that had ceased operations and moved it to New York City, renaming the club the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders were officially renamed the Yankees in 1913.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox, often shortened to the Sox, are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. The team have won eight World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and they are one of two MLB teams to win four World Series titles in a row, winning in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018. The Red Sox’s home ballpark is Fenway Park.

The “Red Sox” name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, circa 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the “Boston Red Stockings”, including the forerunner of the Atlanta Braves. Common nicknames for the Red Sox include the “Sox”, “Red Sox”, “BoSox”, and “Boston”.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a baseball team that play in the National League Central division. The Cubs are one of the original teams in the National League, dating back to 1876. The team’s home ballpark is Wrigley Field, which is located on the North Side of Chicago.

The Cubs have won two World Series titles in their history, with their most recent coming in 2016. The team has also won 19 National League Pennants and six division championships.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. They played four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to Dodger Stadium, their current home, in 1962.