The outfield, in
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 st ...
,
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 ...
and
softball is the area of the
field of play further from the
batsman or
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 ...
than the
infield. In
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...
, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In cricket, baseball and softball
In baseball, softball and cricket, fielders in the outfield have more ground to cover than infielders, but also more time before the ball reaches them.
Catch
Catch may refer to:
In sports
* Catch (game), children's game
* Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball
* Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket
* Catch or reception (gridiron football)
* Catch, part of a rowing stroke
In music
* Catc ...
es are most likely to arise from shots that have been 'skied' (in cricket) or 'popped
' (in baseball and softball). If a catch is not possible (for example, the ball has bounced, or is rolling or skidding across the turf) the fielder will attempt to head off, pick up and throw in the ball as quickly as possible to reduce the distance the runners can run and hopefully to effect a
run out (cricket) or
tag out (baseball and softball).
In cricket, where the
ball is far more likely to stay low against the ground than in baseball or softball, the condition of the turf has a major effect on the speed at which the ball travels through the outfield. On a slow outfield the ball
decelerates significantly, making
fielding easier and
batting harder — in particular
boundaries are far harder to hit. This usually occurs if the playing surface is uneven or if it is damp from rain or dew. However, on a fast outfield the ball does not decelerate significantly even when rolling along the turf, often racing past the fielders and over the boundary rope. In these circumstances, batsmen find it easier to score
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 ...
s quickly. Commentators often refer to the ball accelerating to the boundary on fast outfields, but this only physically occurs on
grounds with a slope and on which the ball is moving downhill.
In baseball and softball, a slow, damp outfield is usually considered an advantage for the hitter, in as much as a batted ball will not travel as quickly to an outfielder in the traditional deep position for fly balls, and thus may permit additional advance by batters and other runners on the basepaths. In addition, a wet, slick ball can not be thrown with the accuracy of a dry one, also permitting the opportunity for additional advance on the bases. Moreover, a wet field generally slows the footspeed of the defense, so fielders will be able to reach fewer flies and line drives in the air before they go through to the fences.
Association football
In association football, eleven players are fielded in each match. The
goalkeeper remains in the goal, and the remaining ten players are "outfield" players.
See also
*
Infield
*
Fielding (cricket)
*
Baseball field
*
Total Football
*
Outfielder
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 c ...
, for more information about the
baseball fielding positions
In the sport of baseball, each of the nine players on a team is assigned a particular fielding position when it is their turn to play defense. Each position conventionally has an associated number, for use in scorekeeping by the official scorer ...
in the outfield.
*
Wall climb, baseball players using the wall as an asset to fielding potential home runs
{{Baseball
Terminology used in multiple sports
Baseball field