Baseball5
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Baseball5 (B5) is an internationally played safe haven game with many of the same rules as baseball and softball, which is governed alongside those sports by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The game revolves around two teams of five players taking turns playing offense and defense, with each of the offensive team's players taking turns hitting a small rubber ball with their bare hands into the field of play (which is a -square), and then running counterclockwise around four bases ( apart) laid out in a square shape to score a
run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
, while the defensive team tries to eliminate (" get out") offensive players before they complete their trip around the bases to prevent them from scoring. Outs (eliminations) occur either when a hit ball is caught before it touches the ground by a defender, or (in specific situations) when a defender with the ball either touches the base a runner is supposed to reach, or touches the runner themselves. Offensive players can also get themselves out by illegally hitting the ball or for breaking the rules while running the bases. The teams switch roles after three outs are made, with an "
inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
" being completed when both teams have played offense once. The game is played to five innings, with any ties being broken by playing extra innings as necessary, and games generally lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Oftentimes, a best-of-three (or even
best-of-five There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
) series is played to determine the result of a matchup between two teams. Unlike baseball/softball, there is no pitcher, with the
batter Batter or batters may refer to: Common meanings * Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan * Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher * Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting * Batter ...
(offensive player who hits the ball) starting each play with the ball, which is the only equipment used in the game."OFFICIAL WBSC BASEBALL5 RULEBOOK 2022"
(PDF). World Baseball Softball Confederation
The WBSC proposed the game in 2017 with the intention of growing baseball/softball on a global level, claiming that the game's low cost, fast pace, and small field make it a more accessible and appealing entry point to those sports. It organizes a mixed-gender B5 World Cup for senior and youth players in alternating years, with teams required to field at least two active players per gender. The game is also scheduled to be played in a mixed-gender format at the
2026 Summer Youth Olympics The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics (french: Jeux Olympiques de la jeunesse d'été de 2026), officially known as the IV Summer Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Dakar 2026 ( wo, Ndakaaru 2026), will be the fourth edition of the Summer Yout ...
, and has started to find adoption in schools, national championships, and other international events around the world.


History

B5 was inspired by similar games that have been played on the streets in Latin America and elsewhere for decades, such as "cuatro esquinas" (''four corners'') in Cuba and "pelotica de goma" (''little rubber ball'') in Venezuela. In some cases, B5 significantly diverges from the rules of these games; for example, it does not feature a pitcher, as is done in one street variation in Colombia, and players are allowed to run the bases, as opposed to only walking, as is required in "cuatro esquinas". The WBSC invented B5 in part to increase the odds that a sport similar to baseball and softball will be played in the Olympics, with B5 meant to contribute to an ultimate goal of having a billion fans in the baseball-softball community by 2030 and helping to demonstrate the global reach of the games. It also intended to create a game that would be more accessible and cheap, as the only equipment used in B5 is the rubber ball, and the field is much smaller than a
baseball diamond A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
or
softball field Softball is a game Variations of baseball, similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the #Professional leagues, professional level. The game was fir ...
, with the game being playable indoors or outdoors, even during the winter. In this respect, as well as the fact that there are fewer players required to play a game, B5 is meant to imitate smaller, more urban variants of other major sports, such as
3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one backboard and in a half-court setup. According to an ESSEC Business School study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, 3x3 ...
, futsal, and rugby sevens. Inclusiveness is meant to be another goal of B5, with the game having been demonstrated at a refugee camp in Jordan, and being scheduled to be the first mixed-gender team sport in an Olympic event. In addition, the game is meant to be simpler to learn, have more youth appeal, and be more exciting, with players participating more frequently throughout the game. Another claimed benefit is that with B5 being introduced across the entire world at the same time, no one country is likely to dominate the game; the lack of the pitcher role, which is highly specialized, contributes to this. The game has been demonstrated and played in various places across the world, such as in the United States during the MLB All-Star Week, in the 2021 Bulgarian Olympic Festival, and on the sidelines of the
2018 Summer Youth Olympics The 2018 Summer Youth Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud de 2018), officially known as the III Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Buenos Aires 2018, were an international sports, cultural, and educational event held ...
in Argentina and the
2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...
in Japan. It is being implemented in many schools in some countries, like Australia and France. Before the
2022 Baseball5 World Cup The 2022 Baseball5 World Cup was the first edition of the Baseball5 World Cup, the Mixed gender sport, mixed-gender Baseball5 (B5) world championship organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It was held in Mexico City from 7 ...
, a new B5 rulebook was published that added additional clarity on some of the rules, as well as changing some of the field dimensions.


Rules and gameplay


Field

The infield is a -square, with a base in every corner. The fair territory is a -square, with one of the corners coinciding with the home plate (the final base). The batter’s box is a -square. It is placed outside of the fair territory and is built on the extension of the two foul lines (which distinguish fair and foul territory, and sit in fair territory) crossing each other at the home plate corner. There is also a "no-hit zone", which is the area between home plate and a line drawn between two points that are each (or for the U-15 age category) down the two foul lines from the home plate corner; this area is not part of fair territory.


Bases

All bases are marked on the ground (i.e. they are not physical cushions like in baseball/softball). Ideal shape and size of the first three bases is a -square, and they are placed in the outfield (the part of fair territory outside of the infield). In order to avoid collisions, the first base is "doubled" in foul territory. Home plate sits in the no-hit zone and is shaped like a -square, except that two of its corners are removed such that the edges of home plate touching the foul lines are , the two adjacent sides are , and the remaining side is still .


Fences

The ideal height of the fences bounding the field is . However, every league or tournament organisation may decide on other ways of limiting the field of play, such as using existing walls or marking the ground with lines.


Ball

The only piece of equipment used is a hollow rubber ball with a circumference of .


Offense

The Visitor team starts the game in offense, with the Home team on defense. The goal of the offensive team is to have each of its players hit the ball and then run counterclockwise around all four bases in order without being eliminated by the defense, thus scoring one
run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
for their team. The act of hitting takes place while a hitter is entirely in the batter's box and shall remain within the lines until the hit ball leaves their hand. The ball has to be hit hard either with a palm or a fist. The first bounce has to be at a minimum distance of from home plate (i.e. not in the "no-hit zone"), and in fair ground, with the ball then being either touched by a defender or reaching the outfield fence. The batter in the action of running towards first base, after putting the ball in play, has to touch the base in foul territory. In order to stay
safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...
, the batter has to remain in the area included within the base and the -safe area extension attached to it in foul territory.


Scoring runs

An offensive player who touches first base, second base, third base and home plate in that order scores one run for their team, and then leaves the field until their next turn as a hitter. However, a run can not be scored by an offensive player touching home plate during a play where the third out in the inning is made by: * the batter-runner before reaching first base * a runner who is forced out (i.e. the runner was required to reach the next base but failed to) * a preceding (further-advanced) runner is declared out for failing to touch one of the bases.


Offensive self-elimination

How the offensive players eliminate themselves due to illegal behaviors/actions: *The batter is eliminated if they fail to legally hit the ball by: **touching (stepping) on one of the batter's box lines before the hit ball enters fair territory (i.e. passes the no-hit zone) **hitting the ball on its first bounce into foul territory or in the “no-hit” zone. **completely missing the ball in the attempt of hitting **intentionally faking to hit the ball **not making a hit ball touch the fair ground before touching the fences or going above the fences **not giving the hit ball enough momentum to reach the outfield fence (i.e. the boundary of fair territory which is beyond the infield) after its first bounce(s), unless it is touched by a defender **not respecting the batting order and hitting in place of a teammate *A
baserunner In baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat. Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base (home plate) to score a run. Batters strive to ...
is eliminated by: **being hit by a legally hit ball **leaving their base
before Before is the opposite of after, and may refer to: * ''Before'' (Gold Panda EP), 2009 * ''Before'' (James Blake EP), 2020 * "Before" (song), a 1996 song by the Pet Shop Boys * "Before", a song by the Empire of the Sun from ''Two Vines'' * "Befo ...
the batter hits the ball **passing a teammate while in the action of running the bases **being tagged while they and other runner(s) are on the same base. The one who batted most recently shall be called "out" **sliding in the attempt to safely reach a base or in the attempt to avoid a tag Note: If a play occurs where the batter failed to legally hit the ball, then the play is canceled (i.e. any runners who got out or advanced around the bases during the play return to their bases as if the play never happened) and the batter is eliminated.


Special batting order situation

In a situation with bases loaded and two outs (two offensive players having been eliminated), if the runner at third base has to be the next hitter in the batting order, the runners at first and second bases each advance one base, the runner on third base goes to hit, and a pinch runner is placed on first base. In teams with only five players, the first player "called out" (eliminated) in that inning becomes pinch runner on first base. The batting order shall always be respected.


Defense

The five players (1st Base, 2nd Base, Midfielder, Shortstop, and 3rd Base, from right to left) of the defensive team shall all be in fair territory when the batter hits the ball.


Elimination methods

How the defense makes " outs" (eliminates offensive players) using the ball: *By touching the base (while in possession of the ball) to which a runner is " forced" to run **(The batter is always forced to run to first base, and any runner must run to the next base if they are on a base to which a teammate is forced to run.) *By catching a hit ball before it touches the ground (this eliminates the batter). *If a catch occurs that gets the batter out, all runners must return to or remain on the bases they were on before the catch, and only then can they continue advancing around the bases; otherwise, a defender holding the ball can touch the base the runner started from to get them out. *By tagging a runner when he/she is not on a base (touching the ball, held in the defensive player's hand, to the runner)


Ball leaving the field

If the ball leaves the court due to a defensive error (missed throw or missed catch of a thrown ball), each runner is awarded an extra base (i.e. the batter goes to 2nd base, and all other runners advance 2 bases as well). Any runner who clearly advanced 2 bases before the defensive error may be granted an extra base as well (i.e. a runner on 1st who advanced to 3rd before the error can be awarded home plate). However, no extra base is awarded for a ball leaving the field for any other reason (i.e. the batter only goes to 1st base if the hit ball rebounds out of play off a defender.)


End of the 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 score after the Guest Team has completed its fifth offensive inning, the game is over and the Home Team wins. For games (matches) that are played as a best-of-three series, the team that wins two games (matches) wins the series.


Tiebreaker

In case of a tie game, the teams shall play and complete extra inning(s) until one team scores more runs than the opponent. The player scheduled to hit fifth for the sixth inning (i.e. the player who batted last in the fifth inning, and whose name precedes the first batter of the sixth inning) is placed on first base as a runner to start the inning. The players scheduled to hit fifth and fourth in the seventh inning are placed on first and second base, and so on with three runners to start the following innings until the game ends.


Run-ahead rule

A game is
over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England ** Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...
if a team leads by 15 runs at the end of the third inning or by 10 at the end of the fourth.


Differences from baseball and softball

* There are only five players on each team, and the game lasts only five innings. * There is no pitcher, catcher, or
outfielders An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catc ...
. (A "midfielder" fields in the position the pitcher would normally be in.) * Defensive players do not have gloves to catch the ball, which is hollow and made of rubber. * The entire B5 field has a standardized size and shape which is very small (-square); in particular, the bases are only apart, rather than or apart as in softball and baseball respectively. In addition, the bases are only marked on the ground, rather than being physical cushions. * The batter starts each play off with the ball, and only gets one chance to legally hit it into fair territory; otherwise they are out. Notably, this includes a requirement that the hit ball must travel at least before it first bounces, so that it does not go into the "no-hit zone" in front of home plate. * The first bounce of the hit ball must be in the field and in fair territory, and it must have enough momentum to reach the fence (i.e. Out-of-the-park home runs are not allowed.) For youth players, the hit ball need only reach the outfield i.e. pass the line connecting 1st-2nd-3rd base. * If the ball first bounces in fair territory, it is a fair ball.


Governance

At the international level, B5 is administered by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Within each country, it is administered by the national baseball and/or softball governing body. Exceptions apply for certain countries, such as Japan, where a specific governing body has been set up to run B5.


Competitions

B5 competitions are played throughout the world, with national championships played in countries such as Tunisia, Taiwan, and the Dominican Republic, and international championships such as the World Cups being played each year.


International Tournaments

The Baseball5 World Cup (B5WC) and Youth Baseball5 World Cup (YB5WC) will be administered by the WBSC, with both tournaments alternating and happening every two years, and following the general format of having 50 games played between 12 national teams over 7 days. Continental qualifiers for each tournament will be played during their off-year. The 2025 YB5WC will act as a qualifier for the mixed-gender Baseball5 event to be held in the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The B5WC's and YOG event were originally scheduled to start in 2020 (in Mexico) and 2022 respectively, but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WBSC's premier events: * Baseball5 World Cup (Since 2022) ** European Baseball5 Championship (Since
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
) - France and Lithuania qualified for 2022 B5WC ** African Baseball5 Championship (Since
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
) **
Baseball5 Asia Cup The Baseball5 Asia Cup is the main Baseball5 tournament in Asia, governed by WBSC Asia. The top three teams qualify to the Baseball5 World Cup. History The inaugural edition of the Baseball5 Asia Cup was due to be held in 2020, but was postponed ...
(Since
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
) * Youth Baseball5 World Cup (Beginning 2023) - For players 14 to 18 years old **European Under-17 Baseball5 Championship (Since 2022) - France and Turkiye qualified for 2023 YB5WC * Youth Olympic Games (Beginning 2026) * WBSC Qualifier events: **European Under-15 Baseball5 Championship (Beginning 2023) Multi-sport events: *
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (abbreviated as AIMAG) is a pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. It is organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and consists of Indoor and martial ...
(Beginning
2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
) *
African Beach Games The African Beach Games is a continental multi-sport event held among athletes from the Africa. The Games are organised under the governance of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA). The Games were announced by the ANOCA ...
(Beginning
2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
) Minor events: * Balkan Baseball5 Championship - played 2018 and 2020 in an indoor mall ( Bulgaria Mall) * Foro Italico, Rome (2018) * Havana, Cuba (2018) * Baseball5 Americas Open (2019)


Domestic Tournaments

* Egyptian Baseball5 National Championship (2020) *French Open (2020) *Lithuanian Baseball5 Championship (2021) * India Sub Junior National Baseball5 Championship (2021) *Pakistan B-5 National Championship (2021) * Belgium Guardians BB5 Cup (2022) Guardians Binche https://baseballbinche.be/theguardiansbb5cup-1/apercu/3/the-guardians-bb5-cup-bb5


See also

* Variations of baseball ** Punchball/slapball, a very similar game historically played in New York ** Tee-ball, another variation of baseball without a pitcher ** Kickball, a variation of baseball where a large hollow ball is kicked by the batter *
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, another international safe haven game involving barehanded catching *
American handball American handball, known as handball in the United States and sometimes referred to as wallball, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small, rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent(s) cannot do the same without the bal ...
* Basque pelota#Hand-pelota


External links


Baseball5 Documents

Baseball5 Competition Management and Scoring System


References

{{Team sports Baseball genres Mixed-sex sports Team sports 2018 introductions