The Official Rules of Major League Baseball is a set of rules set forth by the
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
governing the playing of baseball games by professional teams of Major League
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and the leagues that are members of the
National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. The rules specify the equipment used
and its care and preparation, the layout of the playing field, the details of game play,
and the expected behavior of the players.
The rules are also used by many amateur leagues, although in these cases, the monetary fines and other such stipulation are usually considered impractical and disregarded.
History
Starting with the
Knickerbocker
A Knickerbocker is a person from Manhattan (New York City, before 1898). A modern synonym is “New Yorker”.
Knickerbocker or Knickerbockers may also refer to:
People
* Knickerbocker (surname), including a list of people with the surname, and ...
Rules in 1845, and the National League Rules in
1877, the rules of baseball have evolved over time. The 2014 edition of the rulebook fills about 250 pages.
["The Five Strangest Rules in Baseball"]
''Wall Street Journal'', Brian Costa. July 29, 2014 After the 2014 season, the Playing Rules Committee reorganized and recodified the rules. However, through the 2017 edition, the rulebook also contains a listing in the 2014 format. The 2017 edition occupies 163 and 99 pages in the current and 2014 formats, respectively.
Changes to the rules are decided by a committee. Although new rules are added, some rules which are obsolete have not been deleted.
In recent years the rules have also been posted online.
References
{{reflist
External links
Foreword of Official Rules on MLB.comRules on Baseball-Almanac
Major League Baseball rules