I Read the Entire MLB Rulebook, Here are the Best Parts

[@TheManWithThePlan360]

look at this plebeian who doesn't even have seven hardcover copies of the mlb rulebook sitting around his house for all situations like how do you even call yourself a "base ball fan?"

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

I have 10 copies currently shipping to my doorstep while we speak so you’re gonna look like a fool soon enough

[@plumjet09]

@@ABrandNewBallGamebro does not have the original set of knickerbocker rules from the 1840s

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

I have every edition of the rule book in Spanish and English. Sometimes my friends (who obviously own several rule books themselves) and I get together and play a game of baseball with a random rule book just for fun.

[@EoCx1]

@@plumjet09 you can't say that word anymore man

[@kelseywhitlatch173]

@@ABrandNewBallGame10? Ha I remember my first beer! 😂

[@slambat298]

I read the whole thing when I was about 12, because I thought I wanted to be an umpire.

[@indianheadlogan]

You still can be!

[@joeyweinstock2272]

Imagine waking up one day and wanting to be an umpire

[@Percyripped]

​@@joeyweinstock2272one of the coolest jobs possible if you ask me

[@Monkerey]

​@@joeyweinstock2272 If there wasn't any umps, how would you play the game?

[@not1not2but3]

When I was 13 or 14 around 2001 or 2002 I PRINTED the rule book on my parents inkjet and put into a binder and carried it around school and would read it in my free time.

[@37llawffej]

You: "Tropicana Field is pointing generally in the suggested direction despite being the only stadium that cannot open." Milton: "Let me fix that."

[@jasonhowell7763]

The improper batter thing is wild. Using your example, say Rojas goes to bat illegally and gets on base. Then Muncy goes up illegally, gets out quick, and then Edman goes up and does anything to re-legalize Muncy's at-bat. Rojas could be on base, while being the next legal batter in the order!

[@FadkinsDiet]

In which case the manager has to decide, do they pinch run for Rojas or do they do another out of order illegal batter

[@marcr196]

They actually account for it. In the 6th example in the rulebook, they say when the proper batter is on base, he is passed over, and the following batter becomes the proper batter

[@ThatRaisinTho]

@@marcr196thanks for that extra comment! I thought of the same scenario and thought it was probably accounted for but didn’t know.

[@erictrumpler9652]

Improper Batter situations are a nightmare for official scorers, especially if two batters get switched in the lineup... especially if they fail to recognize that the situation even occurred...

[@zeroone8800]

Skipping batters is the only mechanic preventing playing three,-nine out-innings instead of nine- three out-innings. Since the skipping rule is already there, it would be possible.

[@FloridaManFromTampa]

I swear to god if in a little league game they have twins abuse the hell out of the improper batter rule it’d be so damn funny

[@coachballgame]

😂😂😂

[@sw8351]

And make their numbers 69 and 96

[@thephhoenixx]

11:55 the no fraternization rule is a very, very old rule set in place during the “black sox” days. the league was afraid of players betting and throwing games, so they basically outlawed any interactions outside of one’s own team. they couldn’t do much to stop it off the field when players were on their own time, so they went with the next best thing and tried to minimize it during games. obviously, thats not really a pertinent issue nowadays, so no one cares to enforce it

[@haljordan777]

When I was about 4, I somehow knew about this rule or more likely I just made it up in my head. I was using my father's binoculars and I saw the Astros' closer sitting on a railing and talking to a female fan. When I commented to my parents about what I saw the player doing and that he wasn't supposed to be doing it, one of my parents informed me (incorrectly) that there was no rule against it.

[@brianeleighton]

The no talking to the opposition rule had nothing to do with gambling and everything to do with labor laws. The rule was in place and enforced up until the mid 60s to early 70s. The owners didn't want players to organize and discuss salaries. Most players wouldn't run into players from other teams except on the field because they were scattered on the various teams during the season. During the offseason, players didn't make enough in season to just relax and meet up. The majority had jobs to work. Then in the spring, they would report to Spring Training to get into baseball shape.

[@marshalbaek5580]

I was thinking the same thing...and even now, I don't want to see a player and an umpire talking and laughing slapping each other on the back - I will automatically question any close call as umpire favoritism - anyone would - especially in the play-offs.

[@StephenDettling]

Would this rule apply to in-game interviews?

[@2011SoxMD36]

On the 250 foot flying double rule: I’ve been a baseball nerd (and player) pretty much my whole life. I played up to high school in the States and have since moved to Europe, where I’ve played on some weird fields not originally designed for baseball. At least 3 football fields. Most of these fields have marker posts at the outfield fence where the ground rule is “one side HR, other side 2B” I thought it was just arbitrary, but apparently the Germans read the book more than I did!

[@lobotomyscam1051]

This is the MLB rulebook, not baseball rulebook. Many American high school fields have their own rules, such as "if you hit the ball into the trees over the outfield wall it's an out"

[@wombatcat26]

I remember reading this rulebook as a kid and one of the first things it said was that it strives to be useful outside of MLB as well, so other baseball organizations can basically use the same rules. So that would be my guess as to why this rule exists.

[@colbyforfun8028]

@@lobotomyscam1051 Maybe for situations where an MLB game needs to be relocated to an emergency stadium that is not constructed to MLB guidelines.

[@DukeTheRebel]

I completely forgot about this ruling because I know there’s a lot of weird high school in college stadiums that have this rule because their centerfield is really short or they have extremely weird dimensions.

[@stuckerfam]

Also, a ball leaving the field of play through a ceiling or roof opening could occur closer than 250 ft.

[@Zandezz.]

15:31 is probably something really similar to Ohtani hitting it through the stadium roof and being awarded a doube

[@BaronLector]

I like the idea of a switch pitcher getting Tommy John surgery, and instead of waiting for the injury to heal, he pitches with the other arm so he doesn't miss any time.

[@MrMaelstrom07]

20 year umpire here. I've read it probably every other year. First time when I was 12 (not an umpire then, but I did do some volunteer YMCA basketball officiating at the time).

[@thomdenholm]

32 year umpire here. You need to add the MLB Interpretations to have the complete picture.

[@rdwells]

@@thomdenholm I was just about to comment that he should do another video after reading the MLB Umpire Manual.

[@teebob21]

@@rdwells The Rules Book, the Casebook, and the Manual are the holy trifecta of officiating, for any sport.

[@marshalbaek5580]

I must say this video far exceeded my expectations. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! One rule about the base Coach staying in the box; that rule should stay because last season (2023) the first base Coach of the Yankees was so far outside the box he could see the pitch grip the pitcher was about to throw and the base Coach was conveying some aspect of what was coming to the batter at home plate. So yeah Coach, stay in the box. GREAT video!

[@marcespinoza6068]

Licorice in the rule book makes sense as there used to be a pitch referred to as the "Licorice Ball". Pitchers would chew on black licorice and when it was liquified they would smear it on the ball. Not only did the licorice allow for better pitches but the black spots on the ball would confuse batters.

[@scottclare7502]

And in cricket in 2018, Australian players were caught using sandpaper to rough up the ball to get more movement. Probably has happened in baseball too.

[@mavensbaseball]

I think the double header weather rule is there to prevent the home team from gaining a competitive advantage. Everyone knows that sweeping a double header is harder than winning two regular games. If the home team wins game one it would be to their advantage to not play the second game. Similar to not turn on the lights during an inning.

[@howardroark413]

I think it has to do more with player usage, especially the bullpens. The home team can use all there best arms in game one and rain out the second game.

[@UbiqMan]

You’re close. It’s to prevent the home team from cancelling the second game because they used a lot of pitchers in game 1, or vice versa.

[@chrisbeaudoin9818]

assuming there isn't some big difference in amount of pitchers used (disproportionately more for the winning team) isn't your logic just gambler's fallacy?

[@adamgullion7341]

This was an amazing video. Having a video about rules being fun is surprising and is making a Travesty of The Game. Also the sudden music change when discussing the improper batter is hilarious. Going from a chill song to such an intense powerful one after delving into the absurdity of having to appeal it is amaing.

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

I appreciate it!!

[@coachballgame]

Agreed!

[@ItsGrich]

this is going to be the most interesting video I will ever watch. god I love baseball o7

[@nomercyinc6783]

theres absolutely nothing interesting about RULES

[@teebob21]

@@nomercyinc6783 ....said the foolish fan.

[@Christian_Martel]

Some rules (ex.: 15:43 ) are there to cover a situation that happenned in the old days or can happen in inferior leagues. Don't forget that the Official Rules of Baseball published by MLB are the framework for rules all over the world. Minor and/or amateur leagues are using them with local adjustments.

[@lucasgarcia-rios8233]

This rule can still happen in a closed stadium by hitting a fair pop up the ceiling at more than 250 ft

[@FoxxoIRL-e3n]

so why not mention that in the book (ex: this is applied for other leagues, not MLB. Ignore this rule)

[@FoxxoIRL-e3n]

@@lucasgarcia-rios8233 Trop...well it coyld...but now that Milton hit...it's undoable

[@RXBeegle]

ima guess the the 250 feet ground rule double is for playing in fields that are not the normal MLB fields(like how when the dodgers played in the colosseum for an expedition game the distance to left field was less than 200 feet).

[@TheXcizer]

Players would actually chew licorice and use the 'juice' as a sticky substance which is why it's mentioned specifically

[@TurtleMarcus]

I'm actually surprised tobacco/chew isn't explicitly mentioned. I guess it was mentioned, but it was removed when tobacco in general was banned from the field.

[@Zildawolf]

16:15 I think it’s talking about if the ball were to ever get caught in the ceiling of an indoor stadium that may or may not exist in the future (for the authors)

[@bopete3204]

The Tropicana Field rules state that balls caught in the catwalks are ground rule doubles. I think it's because of this subsection.

[@Rumplesteez]

There’s other ways this can happen. If the ball hits a bird or drone/balloon/kite

[@evanwalker7154]

"You probably have a hard cover copy on your nightstand" *looks to left at pile of rule books dating back to 2018* "This motherfu-"

[@WazzuBlue]

2018??!? Those are rookie numbers kid… 😉

[@Percyripped]

Knowing when esch individual rule was implemented would have been some awesome context but i understand how tedious that would have been to research

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

Honestly, I probably should have but I don’t think it was too bad. It allowed me to try to guess the context myself which I think was kinda entertaining in its own right

[@timoneill1402]

My dad talks about how he would sandpaper baseballs when he pitched and never really thought much about till you brought it up 9:28

[@FoxxoIRL-e3n]

What did he think?

[@retrodad418]

Game OSTs *and* JJK references in a nerdy baseball video? I like this guy

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for somebody to pick up on a JJK reference in several different videos

[@johndemuth6735]

Wow, can't believe you've never read the whole thing. SMDH

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

I’m a fake fan

[@josephbarkley3301]

😂

[@yamiraguilar1316]

15:43, It’s really rare, but it happened this year to Ha-seong Kim in the Padres game against the Marlins in 8/11/24, the ball bounced from the outfielders glove and the fence and left the field, it was ruled a HR first but then changed to a double

[@ThisIsTaco1]

Or on game 2 of the current World Series, where a fan reached for a ball that was clearly not going to leave the field.

[@freeparking301]

4:56…good thing those planners at The Trop positioned the field the way they did because that roof is totally open now

[@8stormy5]

The whole "running the bases backwards" rule is actually worded like that to allow running backwards for good reason. The first is obviously tagging up after a catch, but there's also been cases of runners thinking they were tagged out, walking back towards the dugout, realizing they're still a runner, and having to settle for being safe at a previous base.

[@Nerd_of_Anarchy]

No. Germany Schaefer is the reason. Tried to induce a double steal, catcher didn't throw. So, he ran back to 1st on the next pitch. He then used the "Gus the FG kicking Mule defense" now known as the "Air Bud defense" It ain't in the rule book, I can do it. Next pitch he induced the double steal and the rule was made.

[@joemccullough4246]

@@Nerd_of_Anarchy so was this like a first and third play and the runner stole second and went back to first to try to get a throw down?

[@Nerd_of_Anarchy]

@@joemccullough4246 Yep, but as he stole 2nd for the second time, and the run scored.

[@cosmoid]

​@Nerd_of_Anarchy that's why the rule was made, but op is right about why it's worded the way it is. Jean Segura famously stole 1st after having taken legal possession of 2nd base because he mistakenly thought he had been tagged out. But because he wasn't doing it specifically to confuse the defense or "make a mockery of the game", he was able to be safe at 1st.

[@walkemdownandtouchem71]

15:30 I think it’s talking about if a ball deflected off a player in fair territory and went over the fence without touching the ground. Picture a ball taking a weird bounce off an outfielder down the line without touching the ground and going into the stands less than 250 feet away

[@MrMaelstrom07]

@@walkemdownandtouchem71 That makes sense... Let's say right field is charging hard on a fair fly ball that would land just past first base. He contacts the ball in fair territory but his momentum and the hit (maybe it was Jose Canseco) rebounds so hard that it goes into the stands near first base. Now if this is in the outfield, it's a home run. But here, less than 250 feet, it's a 2-base award (double).

[@ajjdgj6tmgedvnmtmek]

A lot of rules are built to cover all possibilities. Even if you don't know how a ball leaves the field within 250 feet of home plate without going foul, there's always the chance something bizarre will happen on a play, and the league wants a blanket rule to point to when the umpire rules it a double. Further rules after this in 5.05(a) clarify some situations: (a)(6) is the ground rule, (a)(7) is the obstruction rule (it's like the ground rule, but doesn't require ground contact; like if you line drive a ball and it gets stuck somewhere without hitting the ground, that's a double), (a)(8) is the bounding ball deflection rule (lets all runners take two bases), and (a)(9) is the fly ball deflection rule.

[@GuitarInTheForest]

Yeah what if it lands on a bird and carries the ball away. 😂 I can see them putting that in there. .....probably what that Randy Johnson bird was going for ​@@ajjdgj6tmgedvnmtmek

[@tw1nn319]

@@MrMaelstrom07 thats actually covered in the rule too. "Any fair fly ball is deflected by the fielder into the stands, or over the fence into foul territory, in which case the batter shall be entitled to advance to second base;" the 250 ft rule is completely useless since the walls already have to be past 250 ft

[@lobotomyscam1051]

There is old footage of a baseball bouncing off an outfielder's head and going over the wall. I think it was in the "Walk of Life" music video by Dire Straits.

[@psymar]

29:00 I think the reason managers have to appeal the wrong guy batting is that it's possible the umpire could be wrong about who should bat, and so as long as both managers agree they don't want the umpire fucking anything up. Having seen MLB umpires, this was a good decision

[@erictrumpler9652]

@psymar The umpire doesn’t give a hoot who's batting.... it's the official scorer who cares, and actually has the information about who's the proper batter.

[@jonathon422]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video and I greatly appreciate all the wonderful video game music you used throughout. It was a VERY pleasant surprise. 👍

[@NerdJock7]

Dude…LOVE the Nintendo soundtrack! Great book report! Made me subscribe. Keep it up!

[@z.r.r4593]

All the music choices in this video were S tier

[@j_bruh6888]

Awesome video. Was not expecting the bowsers inside story final boss music lol. Great choice.

[@weevie833]

15:46 The rule for a double for a fly ball over a

[@diogenesfinewines]

I have nothing to add but this is a good video. Well done!

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

Thank you!

[@psymar]

15:50 The Cubs actually had a stadium back in the 1800s where the walls weren't 250 feet away, and so balls over the fence were doubles, except for one season because lol 1800s baseball

[@geoffroi-le-Hook]

Of course, they weren't the Cubs yet ...

[@howardroark413]

Rule 5.05 in the early years to accomodate overflow crowds fans would watch from along the outfield fence in temporarily roped of sections, that's how a batted ball less than 250 feet can still leave the playing field. There are pictures of fans sitting in front of what would become the Green Monster for the 1912 World Series. Fenway Park allowed over flow crowds on the field as late as 1934 when Fenway hosted 45,400

[@bigbens33]

The weather rule: ho.e team is in charge: BEFORE THE GAME STARTS. once the umpires receive the lineup cards, they are in charge of delaying or calling the game.

[@MrMaelstrom07]

14:02 Recently the Yankees were in violation of this rule because it was believed the base coach was tipping location to Aaron Judge.

[@SmappleMcWingers]

Good Jomboy video

[@DJBenny]

yup - too easy to try to tip off runners with the way the pitcher holds the ball

[@projoeiii]

I hope somewhere there’s a hockey guy on KZbin who either has (or soon does) make a similar video. I love seeing quirks. Also having commonly misunderstood rules explained. Even though I prefer hockey I enjoyed this one. The only thing I wish was here was in your infield fly segment near the end. The Cardinals/Braves 2012 wild card game had one of the more controversial ones, and I wish that you would’ve shown that one with your thoughts. The broadcasters strongly implied that it was a questionable/controversial call and even added “no way that’s an infield fly” so they clearly disagreed which only fueled the rage of fans that disagreed with the call. Back to the original point though, I tip my hat for a good idea for a video as well as a well done video.

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

Thank you! I do remember that infield fly call in the Cardinals Braves Wild Card Game now that you bring it up, it would’ve been a perfect example for discussion honestly.

[@projoeiii]

@@ABrandNewBallGame not upset for you not thinking of it. It comes up predominantly for fans of those teams, but I went down that rabbit hole of videos about that moment. The comments in every video (mostly) said it was an awful call. Maybe because it was Chipper’s last game, maybe because it was such a pivotal moment, and maybe because it was a bad call, but no matter what the reason people were (and maybe still have been) up in arms about it. As a (biased) Cardinals fan I think it was the right call, but either way I think that is a call that’s great for a deep dive. You can ask what is considered to be “ordinary effort” and whether or not “immediately” should be in the rule book about the call being made. The reason I say that is everyone I’ve listened to said that call was made immediately after Kozma established himself in the outfield with ordinary effort, but not “immediately” after the ball was popped up which leads to controversy. Whether you follow up or not I appreciate the reply. As a hockey fan that’s where my focus is since I enjoy that sport more, but your video came up on my suggestions, and I’m glad it did. You do good work. Keep it up.

[@unknown_individual7050]

At 15:40 maybe the rule has to do with balls exiting the playing field in a way thats not by fly ball over the fence. It almost sounds like it could be a situation at Wrigley where a player could hit a ball straight into the ivy on the fly. Of course the dimensions are more than 250 but this is my best guess in a world where odd field dimensions were common. It could also be that situation applying when distance is only measured from the top of the wall rather than the base.

[@carlosalfonsoperez2101]

Been a baseball fans since kid, and somehow I’ve surprised by some rules! Great video! About the Mental Error not counting as an official in score Error, a great doubt emerge for me. Hypothetically, if an infielder manage to proper field a ground ball, but then choose an incorrect base to throw (example: second base, when there were not runners before the batter) but he make a wild throw to second base and the defensive player covering that base cannot hold the ball. Mi question is next. What it takes to count that as an official error? Because I can think of at least 2 possible answers. 1. It is an error because even if the throw to second were a correct decision the defensive team would not record an out on a routine play (Kind of making a mental error into a real physical error) 2. It will never be an error if the runner does not advance to the next base because of the incorrect throw. I know it’s a pretty dumb discussion, but I find interesting how all the rules are structured. Really appreciate if someone knows the correct answer, or if anyone likes to give your opinion.

[@ajm5007]

I read the MLB rule book back in the early 90s because I was the kind of kid who ALWAYS read the COMPLETE instructions that came with any toy or game (even the narrative fluff that doesn't actually tell you how to play but just sets the stage for the game), and even though I had been playing baseball for years before reading the rules, I absolutely could not resist taking the time to read them all.

[@someguy-k2h]

As a kid, I made score sheets for games and would score the game as I listened on the radio. Later, I was an umpire in high school, so I had to read the rule book, front to back. Just out of curiosity I read the MLB rule book as well, back in 1985. I'm sure it has changed greatly, and you are making me think of reading the 2025 edition when it comes out.

[@garrettwebster201]

Re: 18:27 yes, that is correctly called an out. Under OBR (Official Baseball Rules, the pro rules, as opposed to NCAA or high school, though NCAA is the same), the ball must go through or by a fielder. This is defined as literally between thier legs or within reach. That ball was out of reach for the first baseman, so it is correcrly called. Also, Close Call Sports is still active and an incredible resource for learning the rules. They make a video on every ejection, go through the the applicable rules, and go through the numbers on balls and strikes.

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

I see, thank you for clarifying that because I knew there were gonna be some rules I didn’t quite interpret the way they meant it. Specifically, the “through or by a fielder” part I interpreted as the ball going past the fielder in any way, so I appreciate that because now I know it’s a lot more specific than that. I actually did know that Close Call Sports is still active, but I realize now that I said it was a “2012 blog” instead of a “2012 blog post,” insinuating it was not active, so that’s my mistake.

[@MrMaelstrom07]

@@garrettwebster201 the 2nd baseman *might* have had a chance to get that ball, so that might have factored into the call.

[@garrettwebster201]

@ABrandNewBallGame The rules of baseball are opaque. Quite frankly, they need a complete rewrite. I went to umpire school in 2021, and we went through every rule in the book other than the scoring rules (and had tests on them all!) The number of rules thst were basically, "disregard what it says, here's what it means" is pretty crazy. If you really want to get into the weeds, get yourself a copy of the MiLB umpire manual (I think the most recent publicly avilable edition might be 2019). It clarifies the rules a ton and, frankly, is a much better read than the rule book. And just as big.

[@garrettwebster201]

@MrMaelstrom07 even without that, it would still be interference. If (when shifts were still allowed) there was literally not a defensive player on that side of the field and the runner were hit, it would still be interference.

[@MrMaelstrom07]

@@garrettwebster201 yeah, not so sure about that. If there's no infielder to make a play, with what are you interfering? At this point it's just a mental exercise until we see a play in a pro game where they rule one way or the other. Now if there's intent, yeah, interference. But if there's no fielder and you're just running and get hit with it... I'm thinking play on, you crazy diamond

[@jonathanzuckerberg8850]

This is a guess for the 2nd part of 5.05 but I see that it mentions a fly ball passing out of the playing field at a point of less than 250 feet but it doesn't specify going over a wall. They probably wrote it as a "just in case" rule but Tropicana field has a rule where if the ball gets stuck on one of the closer catwalks then it is a double. I guess in that case if those are less than 250 feet away they are following this rule

[@itstomis]

When Ohtani blasted that ball into the ceiling in the Japan league it was a ground rule double.

[@tw1nn319]

@@itstomis theres a cat walk that is the cut off line, after those its a hr

[@brendan9853]

I gave this a like because of the awesome background music. From Mario kart to rock it was awesome!!

[@iyelawolf2196]

The effort in which you put into this video, using Google earth to determine which teams followed the rule, wow. Great content. Bonus points for the Smash Bros music

[@victorbellutta2059]

whoever that cardinals catcher was at 17:12 holy shit

[@marcr196]

15:28 I think an example of this might be if the ball gets stuck up in the catwalks of a stadium with a roof, like it does occasionally at Tropicana.

[@FadkinsDiet]

That's not over a fence

[@marcr196]

@@FadkinsDiet It just says "out of the playing field", not over a fence

[@psymar]

​@@marcr196The playing field is considered to include above the playing field, the catwalks have special ground rules not in the MLB rulebook

[@Nameless37]

CloseCallSports also make great KZbin videos breaking down recent oddities and ejections and explaining the rules in depth!

[@bradleyrehwaldt777]

I’ve read a lot of them as an umpire. In men’s league we use OBR and it’s helpful to know for a lot of leagues, especially to compare and contrast to understand the nuance and effects of the rules.

[@EFYletsplays]

I love this video! It’s making me feel so much nostalgia for baseball. One thing I noticed is that, „errs“ is pronounced as „airs“ as in „error“

[@hessxpress]

Great content with great music, subscribed!

[@IanZainea1990]

26:24 that's like a monopoly rule most people don't know about. If you land on someone's property, only the owner is supposed to say something. If you roll the dice before they ask for rent, then you don't have to pay for it. No one else is supposed to help notify the property owner. But most people don't play by this rule.

[@gustavo2721]

I Learned the baseball rules by KZbin when I was 14, Born and raised in Portugal, Europe, I never has much contact with baseball until one day when I decided to learn the rules and fell in love with it (Portugal has very little baseball culture, there are in total 9 amateur teams in the whole country)

[@austinchampion4041]

4:50 uhhh yeah so about that😬😬

[@TomMarvan]

It’s open now.

[@madden72]

33:45 this is my favorite, a rule which has absolutely no bearing on the game result but protects the players' careers

[@FootballCentro]

This man is immune to the "read the rulebook" comeback

[@jonskillings1258]

James Naismith once used that on a ref when he was coaching college basketball

[@jimhughes2621]

You're finally getting around to cracking the rule book, huh? I remember when I was a kid me and my friends used to take turns reading aloud our favorite passages, we even had many memorized. I'm surprised you're coming to it so late in life...

[@quantumfootball]

I read a 1990's version of the rulebook because we had to read the rulebook of a sport for a book report assignment. My favorite thing is the ground-rule triple that happens if a fielder decides to deliberately throw his glove or cap at the ball to stop it.

[@soapsatellite]

I wonder if that's happened in a game recently

[@harrisonbaylor1432]

31:00 this has happened before, kinda. The Braves and Padres had a game in 1984 where they had several bench clearing fights. After a while the umpires sent everyone into the clubhouse and only the players who needed to be on the field and managers were allowed on field (or dugout for the managers)

[@JackieDaytona1776]

Your channel should start to boom, but if I could respectfully make a humble suggestion, I think you can provide the same content and context in shorter videos. There are a few times where your script is lengthier than needed and you could save yourself time and perhaps boost your algorithym making a video like this 20-25 minutes. Please dont take that as anything other than a thought, love the content and keep it up!

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

You’re good I genuinely appreciate the constructive criticism. My latest videos have honestly been a little too long, I agree. I think every once in a while a 30-40 minute video is good, but three in a row was a mistake. I’ve yet to figure out if it’s my own doing by unintentionally padding out my scripts lately or just the topics themselves. I’m aiming to make my next one around 20-25 mins, maybe shorter.

[@grantfraser5430]

One of the things I like about the weird scenarios that can come up, like two runners occupying the same base. Or the story that MLB umpire Ron Luciano told David Letterman. One of my personal favorites came from when I umpired Little League. It never occurred but it could have. Bases loaded, two out, scored tied, bottom of the final inning with no extra innings to be played. So last batter, either there's an out to end the game or winning run scores. Nope. Third option. Little league rule about lead-offs. Runners can't advance unless forced by batter getting on base. Idea is to prevent an easy stolen base because catcher's arms aren't good enough at that age. The last part of the rule in case of an early lead-off is that a runner can't score on the play. Player would normally be required to return to original base but if unable because it's occupied, simply comes off field, no out, no run and next batter is up.

[@showmefish]

Funny, RULE 2.01 uses the term desirable and shall in the same sentence. In contract speak this means "we suggest you must to do".

[@BachBeethovenBerg]

I think I read the complete rulebook about 20 years ago when I was a teenager...but I'm a nerd....It's changed quite a bit since then too!

[@fastamercool14]

34:43 mlb the show definitely doesn’t follow that rule and counts it as an error when I accidentally throw to second instead of first for the out 🤣🤣

[@beaglegt500]

I was half asleep listening to the video and quickly perked up at this rule and that was my first thought

[@NotHaydenMoss]

Imagine a team has 2 brothers that look alike and they randomly throw out the one brother that is much better at the top of the lineup to see if anyone notices and they somehow pull the improper batter rule off

[@ABrandNewBallGame]

Now this is the kind of insane stuff I'm looking for

[@colbyforfun8028]

Jersey numbers, sadly, ruin this

[@kevinmoynihan5118]

16:10 This rule would potentially apply when a ball hits off a fielder in fair territory and goes out of play in foul territory somewhere like Fenway where there isn’t much foul territory in the outfield. After hitting the fielder in fair territory it would be a fair ball and it would still be inflight when going out of play.

[@MontagnaMagica]

Yes, and to add to that, a fly ball into the roof is out of play and probably less than 250 feet. We see that at Tropicana Field.

[@tw1nn319]

foul territory is already a double, listed earlier in the rule, before the 250 ft rule. the 250 ft rule is about walls in fair territory

[@Buzzball-cq6pb]

You're a madman. I'm so here for it

[@dannycomellas]

20:14 Venditte himself is the reason this rule exists. There was an instance in his minor league career where he faced Ralph Henriquez, a switch hitter. They went back and forth several times before the umpire eventually made the batter choose first. A few weeks later, the Venditte rule was adopted.

[@kelseywhitlatch173]

As a high school umpire for the last 25 years I like to watch MLB umpires and try and implement things I see into my own game. It’s been very very useful over the years to look how to make calls look as professional as possible. Which is arguably as important as knowing the rules so everyone’s clear as glass on what the call is being made.

[@smoceany9478]

if you know anything about babe ruth, his 29 home run season was the record, beating the previous record of 27, that record was set in a stadium with really really close fences, and for 1 year balls over that fence were a home run, my bet is the mlb saw that, said no way we're having that again, but didnt wanna force a team to change their dimensions entirely, so they just said make it a double

[@psymar]

Yep. That was the stadium of the Chicago team later known as the Cubs. Not sure if it's the same one that had an insane asylum past the left field fence (hence if you heard something weird said, it probably came "out of left field", which is the origin of this expression)

[@a-law]

Major respect for listing the music used in the description

[@scottgentley997]

What happens if in your hypothetical Edman gets on base? Does that mean Rojas gets to bat again 😂

[@Ianmccor]

Regarding the "eject the bench rule", I actually did see a variation of this in a minor league game 17 years ago. The game had a bench clearing brawl (which I have uploaded to KZbin, it somehow has 8 times more views than this video despite not being HD-quality), and after the fight the umpires ordered the teams to remain in the clubhouse the rest of the game with players only coming out to the field as needed.

[@duran7572]

off topic, but bro love the music choice

[@EastBayAnt]

😊 15:46 the ball doesn’t have to go over a wall, it just has to “pass out of the playing field”. A fair ground ball that goes under stands or a wall would qualify.

[@holdenlipton8632]

28:46 if Edman became a legalized improper batter, would that mean that Rojas would be at bat while he is on first base? If so, what’s the protocol? Is there any?

[@dirty_mac]

Rojas gets skipped over, so Ohtani would be batting next

[@tw1nn319]

I would say, Rojas cant be at bat when he's on base, so someone else would have come up as another improper batter.

[@artfulcord]

As far as I’m aware, a pinch runner or other player would go to the base, and Rojas would bat again, or they just roll with it and Ohtani goes next

[@jonskillings1258]

​@@dirty_macI don't know to much about baseball, if an ump throws a batter out of a game, does the pinch hitter replace them? What if several batters are thrown out, do defensive players then take their place in the lineup?

[@craigmooring2091]

In section 8 "Whoops More Field..." the rule about a FAIR fly ball that passes out of the playing field less than 250' from home would apply to something like a ball hooking around the Pesky Pole at Fenway, where the stands actually verge into fair territory before the rounded corner at the limit of right field. Pesky's Pole is 302' from home, but I'm guessing that in the early days there were parks where the stands encroached in that way much sooner. Rule 4.01 (e) I think the point you made is valid; the umps are not meticulous in observing this rule to the letter, but in the example you showed, although the ump tossed the ball to the pitcher before the runner crossed home, it didn't actually get to the pitcher until after the plate was crossed. A delivery is made until the object reaches its destination. Rule 9.03 (a) would still apply in a case where an outfielder comes in to play the infield, which, however improbable, I believe is still allowed. The recent rule outlawing the over-shift that had become so annoyingly frequent in recent years didn't change that. This was fun, thank you.👍

[@pip9533]

Finally I can find out if Air Bud can play baseball Also I didn’t see it in the description, but I’m like 99% sure I heard Professor Sycamore’s Theme from Pokémon XY I think

[@drewlally2324]

Close Call Sports mentioned! I love that page

[@c3kile]

I LOVE how the 250 ft HR rule is still on the books despite not being possible to hit a home run under 250 since March 29, 2008 and that was a 1 off game between BOS and LAD at the Memorial coliseum, where the shortest fence distance was 192

[@thehellsage]

I had to watch the improper batter one four times to grasp it because I got distracted jamming out to the Super Metroid music you used.

[@zacharytunick1920]

My best guess for the fly ball that only allows the batter to advance 2 bases, 15:24, is if the ball gets stuck in between the padding on the wall, or it gets stuck in a fence, or something along those lines.

[@charliep123]

Reading the book cover to cover finding the funny stuff and going team by team comparing them is totally something I would do. I think we would get along.

[@powerofk]

Yeah, the whole “letters of the uniform” thing for top of the strike zone has always been an approximation. The exact midpoint of the torso is so much more difficult to figure out, and for most uniforms, the letters are close enough. Though, the top of the strike zone has changed over time. I don’t remember what year it changed to its current placement, but for a long time, the top of the strike zone was the belt. And I think quite a few umpires still call it that way because it’s easier to see.

[@Guy1-x7p]

The double in less than 250 ft fly ball rule probably references a scenario where fans were sat on the feild to watch the game when regular tickets sold out. This doesn't happen anymore but I'd imagine that It could have happened on an extremely popular game long ago

[@ColeYote]

Based on timing alone, I think I can pinpoint the LA Coliseum as the reason MLB amended the rule on minimum distance. Dodgers had to play there for three years because Dodger Stadium hadn't been built yet, but the Coliseum was, of course, not designed for baseball. Left post was 251 feet away, even shorter than the also-infamous Polo Grounds 258' right post. And unlike the Polo Grounds, centre-left was still only 320 feet away. League made them put up a net that was taller than the Green Monster just so homers wouldn't be quite as hilariously easy. Incidentally, the term "moonshot" for towering homers came about because Wally Moon was particularly good at clearing that net.

[@ZachCremisiSky]

36:00 in USA Softball. We were told to call it if the infielder is backing upwards to catch it.

[@allstar_88-z5p]

A baseball player you should mention on your upcoming video about all baseball reference pages, is the legend, Buttercup Dickerson

[@rdwells]

I'm glad you mentioned the batter out of order rule, but you should have at least read the last official ruling provided in the book, which reads like a comedy sketch: "PLAY (6)-Daniel walks and Abel comes to bat. Daniel was an improper batter, and if an appeal is made before the first pitch to Abel, Abel is out, Daniel is removed from base, and Baker is the proper batter. There is no appeal, and a pitch is made to Abel. Daniel’s walk is now legalized, and Edward thereby becomes the proper batter. Edward can replace Abel at any time before Abel is put out or becomes a runner. He does not do so. Abel flies out, and Baker comes to bat. Abel was an improper batter, and if an appeal is made before the first pitch to Baker, Edward is out, and the proper batter is Frank. There is no appeal, and a pitch is made to Baker. Abel’s out is now legalized, and the proper batter is Baker. Baker walks. Charles is the proper batter. Charles flies out. Now Daniel is the proper batter, but he is on second base. Who is the proper batter? RULING: The proper batter is Edward. When the proper batter is on base, he is passed over, and the following batter becomes the proper batter. I'm sure Abbott and Costello could have had a field day with all that.

[@teebob21]

@@rdwells Who's on first?

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Hold on. Daniel is removed from base Does this mean technically it'd be a seriously convoluted way to have a double play happen?

[@teebob21]

@@jacekatalakis8316 No.

[@rdwells]

@@jacekatalakis8316 I assume you're referring to the very first part of the scenario. No, it's not a double-play; Abel is out on appeal, but it happens to be Daniel standing at first base in Abel's place so Daniel gets removed from the bases due to Abel's out.

[@GamesNGains21]

Awesome video! Baseball definitely has some odd rules. Not gonna lie, aside from playing the sports, the way I learned the rules of my top three sports (hockey/baseball/football) was from video games lol I've experienced a ton of strange circumstances while playing a video game that I had never seen in real life, and turns out, EA does pretty well with getting these rules correct.

[@sk8tor9]

Was playing softball about a decade ago and the batting out of order rule reminded me of what happened during a game. We inadvertently skipped one batter in the order(he wasnt paying attention) and the next guy up who replaced him hit a home run only the players dad noticed his son was skipped but knowing of the rule we kept it quite not wanting to lose4 runs off the board. Side not we were already winning by 6 runs at the time.

[@michaelwilber774]

Honestly, I never thought about baseball actually having a rule book, like seriously Americas game to me has always just been passed down generations. I mean it makes sense that there would be a rule book. Wild

[@dehavillandcanadatwinotter9621]

I find it funny how the Cardinals are one of only two team to be in the correct cardinal direction orientation of the recommended field position. They took their team name to heart in that regard!

[@cosmoid]

I think the rule at 15:25 could be in reference to situations like the Tropicana rafters. Things like that are generally covered by the stadium's individual ground rules, but it could be in the official league rulebook just in case. Example: T-Mobile park does not have any ground rules about balls becoming lodged in the roof when it is shut (idk if this is true I'm just using it as an example). If a ball becomes lodged in the roof in fair territory but within 250 feet of home, it's a double.

[@jayandjuliaburnieika3756]

24:00 “12 Would This Ever Happen” I think it sorta did this year. White Sox (or the tigers I forget) were playing the Red Sox and Duran got a hit but might not have touched first. Pitcher goes to throw it to first but Duran goes to steal home, confusing the pitcher causing him to throw the ball wildly and Duran got home. Not entirely the same thing but similar

[@matthewstevenwhitaker]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the 2012 NL Wild Card Game when the infield fly rule was called, killing the Braves’ rally, and then the game was delayed due to fans trashing the field. I was at that game and could tell everyone was confused about the rule including the players. That was the craziest game of my life to say the least.

[@clickbait3753]

at 10:46, it could possibly be to avoid a situation in where there may be a strong incentive for the home team to not play the double header's second leg at the time. For example if its an important divisional series, and the home team has more top heavy pirching talent, it could be benefical to have the second leg of the double header moved again so they could play their ace or have better bullpen arms ready for that big game.