Probably South Africa’s fastest growing sport
African Champions 2022
Baseball5™ or B5 is an urban version of the classic games of baseball and softball. It is a fast, young and dynamic discipline that follows the same founding principles of its parent disciplines. Baseball5™ can be played everywhere and requires only a rubber ball.
Introduction
Baseball5 or B5 is an urban version of the classic games of baseball and softball. It is a fast, young, and dynamic discipline that follows the same founding principles of its parent disciplines.
Baseball5 can be played everywhere and requires only a rubber ball.
Baseball5 comes from the desire to increase accessibility to baseball and softball, maintaining the uniqueness of the game, while it eliminates all original structural complexities.
Baseball5 is a mix-gender team sport where each team is composed by 5 players (+reserves). Depending on the competition format, a match can last between 20 to 60 minutes.
The discipline can be characterised as: accessible, sustainable, urban, youth-focused, inclusive, and instant fun.
Game Rules
The Home Team starts the game in defence and the Visiting Team starts in offence.
The goal of the defensive team is to eliminate (get out) three players of the offensive team in order to switch sides. When the teams switch sides, the defensive team will play offence and vice-versa.
The goal of the offensive team is to score runs (points). A run is scored when an offensive player is able to complete a full run by touching all bases and safely returning home without being eliminated by the defence.
Defence/Defensive Team
The five players of the defensive team shall all be in fair territory when the batter hits the ball.
Positions:
- 1st Base
- 2nd Base
- 3rd Base
- Shortstop
- Midfielder
Offence/Offensive Team
In the lineup card the teams must list the five active players hitting from one to five. The batting order shall be followed throughout the game unless a player is substituted for another. In which case, the substitute shall replace the player in the batting order.
Hitting/Batting
The act of hitting/batting must take place while the batter is completely within the batter’s box. The batter shall remain within these lines until the ball is hit away from the batter’s hand.
The offensive player shall enter the batter’s box and raise the hand they intend to use to hit the ball. The ball must be hit/slapped either with a palm or a fist.
The hit/slapped ball shall have enough momentum to reach the outfield fence.
Should a defender touch a legally hit ball before it reaches the outfield fence, the ball is automatically considered valid.
Illegal Hitting
The first bounce must to be after the no-hit zone line marked diagonally at 4.5 m from home plate. For the U-15 category the no-hit zone is marked at 3 m.
In the U-15 category and other age-group categories below, players will have a second chance in the case of an illegal hit or foul-ball.
Points/Runs
A point (run) is scored when a player reaches home plate, having passed all the bases in turn, during an offensive session of their team. The bases must be touched in the follow order: 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base and home plate.
Outs
The defensive team needs to eliminate three opponents in an inning in order to switch sides and become the offensive team.
How the defence makes “outs”:
- By touching the base (while in possession of the ball) in which a runner is “forced” to run to;
- By catching a hit ball before it touches the ground;
- By tagging a runner when he/she is not on a base, Tagging = touching the runner with the ball in hand;
- If a batter reaches 1st base safely but fails to remain in the safe area and is tagged by a defender while outside the safe area.
How the offensive players eliminate themselves due to an illegal behaviour/action:
- By touching (stepping) on one of the batter’s box lines while hitting the ball;
- By hitting the ball in foul territory;
- By being hit by a legally hit ball;
- By completely missing the ball in the attempt of hitting;
- By intentionally faking to hit the ball;
- By not making a hit ball touch the fairground at least once before touching the fences or going above the fences;
- By not making the hit ball reach the outfield fence (in case of no touch by any defensive player);
- By not respecting the batting order and hitting in place of a teammate;
- By a runner leaving the base before the batter hits the ball;
- By passing a teammate while in the action of running the bases;
- By being tagged while two or more runners are on the same base by (the player listed later in the batting order shall be called “out”);
- The one behind in the batting order shall be called “out”;
- By sliding in the attempt to safely reach a base or in the attempt to avoid a tag.
NOTE: Runners must do everything possible to avoid a collision with the defenders. Should an umpire decide that a runner could have avoided a collision, the runner shall be ruled “out”.
Dead Ball
If, after a valid hit, the ball leaves the field of play and is no longer playable by the defence, the game stops. In such cases, one of the following will be applied:
- If no defender touches the ball, each runner advances to the next base (no extra base is awarded);
- If the hit ball touches a defender (no error) and leaves the field of play, each runner advances to the next base (no extra base is awarded);
- If the ball leaves the court due to a defensive error (missed throw or missed catch), each runner is awarded an extra base (batter goes to 2nd base, runner on 1st base goes to 3rd base and so on…). It is at the discretion of the Game Official as to whether to call the error and award the extra base to the offence.
- The ball is also dead if the Game Official calls an obstruction (each runner advances one base).
Bases Loaded, Two Out – Special Case
In a situation with bases loaded and two outs where the runner at 3rd base is up (according to the batting order) each runner advances one base with the runner on 3rd base going to hit and a pinch runner placed on 1st base. In teams with only five players, the first player called out in that inning becomes a pinch runner on 1st base. The batting order shall always be respected.
1st inning:
- Paul, base hit. Paul is on 1st base, no outs, Jane goes into the batter’s box.
- Jane, base hit. Paul is on 2nd base, Jane is on 1st base, no outs, Mike goes into the batter’s box.
- Mike, base hit. Paul is on 3rd base, Jane is on 2nd base, Mike is on 1st base, no outs, Steve goes into the batter’s box.
- Steve, fly out. Paul is on 3rd base, Jane is on 2nd base, Mike is on 1st base, one out, Kim goes in the batter’s box.
- Kim, fly out. Paul is on 3rd base, Jane is on 2nd base, Mike is on 1st base, two outs, Paul should be the next batter, but he is on 3rd base.
Therefore: Paul goes into the batter’s box, Jane advances to 3rd base, Mike to 2nd base and Steve (first out of the inning) goes to 1st base as a pinch runner.
Interference
Should a Game Official deem that a runner has interfered with the defensive play, the runner shall be ruled out.
Obstruction
Should a Game Official deem that the batter-runner is obstructed while running to the next base, the ball becomes dead, and all runners advance to the bases they would have reached had there been no obstruction.
Time
A player can request time when a play is over. The ball is alive until the Game Official grants the request.
Unsportsmanlike Behavior
Should a Game Official detect any unsportsmanlike behaviour from any delegation member – players on and off the field, coach and team manager – the responsible person may be ejected from the game.
During tournaments, any ejection will result in a minimum suspension of one match.
Substitutions
Tactical substitutions can take place every time a team changes between offence and defence.
Reserve players can only enter the game once. Therefore, they cannot re-enter the game once they are substituted out of the game. A starting player can only re-enter the game to regain their original spot in the batting order.
Injury substitution – Should a player suffer an injury, they can be substituted at any time. The injured player cannot re-enter the game. Should the match be played over a series of three games, the injured player is out for the whole series.
The Field
Infield
The infield is square in shape, with a base in each corner. The distance in between bases is 13 m or 42.5 ft. Starting from the batter’s box, behind home plate, the bases are numbered counterclockwise. (1st, 2nd and 3rd)
Fair territory is square in shape, measuring 18 m (59 ft) per side, in which one of the corners coincides with home plate. The no-hit zone, located in front of home plate, is not part of fair territory.
No-Hit zone
A straight line shall be drawn starting 4.5 m (15 ft) from home plate on the 1st base foul line to its equivalent on the 3rd base foul line. In any case the minimum distance of the line from home plate shall be 3 m (10 ft).
Batter’s box
The batter’s box has a square shape of 3 m (10 ft) per side. It is placed outside of fair territory and is built on the extension of the two foul lines crossing each other at the home plate corner. The home plate can also be shaped like a baseball/softball home plate.
Bases
The ideal shape and size of all bases is a square of 50 cm (1.6 ft) per side. All bases sit in fair territory. Bases shall be marked on the ground; they are not physical cushions like in baseball/softball.
1st base
In order to avoid collisions, first base is “doubled” in foul territory. This ensures that the defensive play can be made in fair territory and the batter/runner’s goal to touch the base can be made safely in foul territory. In the action of running towards first base, after putting the ball into play, the batter has to touch the base. In order to stay safe, the batter must remain in the area included within the base and the 1.5 m (5 ft) safe area attached to it. Should the batter fail to remain in the safe area with at least one foot, they can be ruled out by a tag.
Fences
The ideal height of the fences is 100 cm or 3 ft. However, every league/ tournament organisation may decide on other ways of limiting the field of play, such as using existing walls or marking the ground. In these cases, specific ground rules shall be established and communicated to all participants.
Game Preliminaries
Ball
Official WBSC Baseball5 competitions are played with Approved WBSC Baseball5 balls.
- WBSC, being the world governing body for Baseball5, is entitled of ball and equipment certification, homologation and licensing.
- WBSC sanctioned competitions shall be played with certified Baseball5 balls that have passed the WBSC homologation process
Inning
An inning is a division of a Baseball5™ game consisting of a turn at bat for each team. A Baseball5 game is made of five innings.
A different game format in which a match is played over the best of three games, may be developed for events such as, but not limited to, World Cups, Youth Olympic Games etc.
Team players
The number of active players per team during a game is five at all times. If a team cannot meet the minimum required number of players on the field, the team shall forfeit and the match is over.
The maximum number of players on the roster is eight (five in play and three reserves).
Athletes must be registered in the line-up card with a number which can be freely chosen from 0 to 99. This number must appear clearly on the player’s jersey. Please refer to the tournament regulations documents for uniform specifications.
Mixed teams
In mixed gender competitions the defensive team must have at all times a minimum of two athletes per gender on the field.
Outfit
Only under certain circumstances can certain types of finger taping protection be allowed by Game Officials, on a case by case basis, for injury prevention purposes only. These must be announced to, and approved by, the Game Officials prior to the start of the game.
General urban sports attire is required when playing Baseball5. The WBSC reserves the right to define specific regulations for players to participate in its official competitions. Where applicable, this information will be presented in the tournament manual. Only kneepads and elbow sleeves are permitted as protective equipment.
Line-up
The coach of each team must present the line-up card, duly filled and signed, to the Table Official, 15 (fifteen) minutes before the start of the game. An event organiser can require a line-up card to be presented up to 90 (ninety) minutes before game. In the absence of a coach, the team manager or captain shall be responsible for presenting the line-up card. A copy of the line-up card must be presented to the opposing team before the beginning of the game.
End of Game
The game ends at the end of the fifth inning if one team has scored more runs than the opponent.
Should the Home Team be ahead on the scorecard after the Visiting Team has completed its fifth offensive inning, the game is over, and the Home Team wins.
On matches played over a series of three games, the team that wins two games is the winner.
Tie-break rule
In the case of a tied game, the teams shall play and complete extra inning(s) until one team scores more runs than the opponent.
- The first extra inning will start with a runner on 1st base.
- The second extra inning will begin with runners on 1st and 2nd base.
- Runners will start on all bases from the third extra inning onwards
- Runners must be placed on base(s) without modifying the batting order.
Run-ahead rule
A game is over if a team leads by 15 runs at the end of the third inning or by 10 at the end of the fourth. Should a team reach a 10 or more run advantage during the top of the fifth inning the game shall be completed.
