The dropped third strike rule in softball confuses players, parents, and even some coaches because it works differently than they expect — and differently between fastpitch and slowpitch. The basic rule mirrors baseball’s, but softball adds its own layers: the orange safety base, the no-leadoff context, and the fact that the rule isn’t even used … Read more
If you’ve ever stepped onto a high school baseball field after years of watching MLB games on TV, you might be surprised how similar everything looks. That’s not an accident — high school baseball under NFHS rules uses essentially the same field dimensions as Major League Baseball. The infield is identical. The pitcher’s mound is … Read more
Three strikes and you’re out. That’s one of the most fundamental rules in baseball — except when it isn’t. If the catcher fails to catch the third strike, the batter sometimes gets a free shot at running to first base. Sometimes. The “sometimes” is what trips people up, because the rule depends on a specific … Read more
Buying your kid a batting helmet should be one of the simplest equipment decisions in baseball. Walk into any sporting goods store and you’ll find a wall of them: Junior, Senior, T-Ball, XS through XL. The problem is that “Junior” and “Senior” mean different things at different brands, and a 10-year-old who needs a “Junior” … Read more
If you’ve ever watched a baseball broadcast and heard the announcer call out “6-4-3 double play!” — that’s the position numbering system at work. Every defensive spot on a baseball field has a number from 1 to 9, and those numbers are used universally for scorekeeping, scouting reports, and shorthand communication at every level from … Read more
Your kid threw 67 pitches in Saturday’s game. Can he pitch on Tuesday? Wednesday? When? If you’re a Little League parent or coach, you’ve Googled this exact question with a sense of urgency at least once. The pitch count rules sound simple in theory — there are daily maximums and rest day requirements based on … Read more
If you don’t watch a ton of baseball, you may be left confused when you see a game that ends immediately before all of the innings are played. While having a game end before 9 innings rarely happens in a major league baseball game, if you attend youth sports baseball games or high school baseball … Read more
The honest answer to “how long is a baseball game” is that it depends on what level you’re watching and what year it is. A standard nine-inning MLB game in 2025 averaged 2 hours and 38 minutes — the third straight season under 2:40 and the first time MLB has held that pace for three … Read more
Buying a baseball bat that your kid can’t actually use is the most expensive mistake in youth sports. A $300 USSSA bat that’s illegal in Little League. A -5 USSSA drop that’s now outlawed in 14U as of January 2026. A BBCOR bat your 10-year-old can barely swing. Every parent buys the wrong bat at … Read more
An MLB game gets stopped because of weather. What happens to it depends on three things: how many innings have been played, who’s winning, and whether it’s the regular season or postseason. The rules are more specific than most fans realize, and they changed significantly in 2020 in a way that almost no one talks … Read more