Official Baseball Rules2015 Edition<strong>OFFICIAL</strong> PLAYING <strong>RULES</strong> COMMITTEESandy Alderson, Chair Jerry Dipoto Terry RyanChris Antonetti Brian Gorman John SchuerholzSam Bernabe John Mozeliak Joe TorreAmateur Baseball Advisory MemberMike GaskiCommittee SecretaryPaul V. Mifsud, Jr.EditorTom LepperdCopyright © 2015by the Office of the Commissioner of BaseballAll rights reserved.No part of the Official Baseball Rules may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval systemnow known or to be invented, without permission in writing fromthe Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.The Major League Baseball silhouetted batter logo is aregistered trademark of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc.Cover photo by Elsa/Getty Images.ISBN 978-0-9961140-0-4Printed in the United States of America
<strong>OFFICIAL</strong> <strong>BASEBALL</strong> <strong>RULES</strong>Recodified, amended and adopted by the Professional Baseball PlayingRules Committee at New York, N.Y., December 21, 1949; amended at NewYork, N.Y., February 5, 1951; Tampa, Fla., March 14, 1951; Chicago, Ill.,March 3, 1952; New York, N.Y., November 4, 1953; New York, N.Y.,December 8, 1954; Chicago, Ill., November 20, 1956; Tampa, Fla., March30-31, 1961; Tampa, Fla., November 26, 1961; New York, N.Y., January 26,1963; San Diego, Calif., December 2, 1963; Houston, Tex., December 1,1964; Columbus, Ohio, November 28, 1966; Pittsburgh, Pa., December 1,1966; Mexico City, Mexico, November 27, 1967; San Francisco, Calif.,December 3, 1968; New York, N.Y., January 31, 1969; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,December 1, 1969; Los Angeles, Calif., November 30, 1970; Phoenix, Ariz.,November 29, 1971; St. Petersburg, Fla., March 23, 1972; Honolulu, Hawaii,November 27, 1972; Houston, Tex., December 3 and 7, 1973; New Orleans,La., December 2, 1974; Hollywood, Fla., December 8, 1975; Los Angeles,Calif., December 6, 1976; Honolulu, Hawaii, December 5, 1977; Orlando,Fla., December 4, 1978; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, December 3, 1979;Dallas, Tex., December 8, 1980; Hollywood, Fla., December 7, 1981;Honolulu, Hawaii, December 5, 1982; Nashville, Tenn., December 5, 1983;New York, N.Y., January 8, 1985; New York, N.Y., March 27, 1986;Hollywood, Fla., December 9, 1986; New York, N.Y., November 23, 1987;New York, N.Y., January 26, 1989; Chicago, Ill., December 3, 1990; Miami,Fla., December 5, 1991; Louisville, Ky., December 4, 1992; Atlanta, Ga.,December 12, 1993; New York, N.Y., January 30, 1996; Mail vote, January2006; Teleconference, December 20, 2006; Teleconference, February 5,2008; Las Vegas, Nev., December 9, 2008; Teleconference, May 26, 2009;Teleconference, January 25, 2010; Lake Buena Vista, Fla., December 8,2010; Teleconference, February 16, 2011; Dallas, Tex., December 7, 2011;Nashville, Tenn., December 5, 2012; Orlando, Fla., December 11, 2013;Recodified, amended and adopted at San Diego, Calif., December 10, 2014.iii
- Page 1: OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES2015 Edition
- Page 5 and 6: IMPORTANT NOTES(1) The Playing Rule
- Page 8 and 9: Table of Contents2015 Official Base
- Page 10 and 11: 5.10 Substitutions and Pitching Cha
- Page 12 and 13: 9.23 Guidelines for Cumulative Perf
- Page 14 and 15: Rule 2.012.00-THE PLAYING FIELD2.01
- Page 16 and 17: 2.04 (1.07) The Pitcher’s PlateTh
- Page 18 and 19: Rule 3.02 to 3.03NOTE: If the umpir
- Page 20: crotch to the outer edge of the mit
- Page 23 and 24: 4.01 (3.01) Umpire DutiesRule 4.014
- Page 25 and 26: Rule 4.03player in the batting orde
- Page 27 and 28: umpire-in-chief shall make and enfo
- Page 29 and 30: 5.00-PLAYING THE GAME5.01 Starting
- Page 31 and 32: Rule 5.04(2) The batter shall not l
- Page 33 and 34: Rule 5.04(iii) A member of either t
- Page 35 and 36: Rule 5.05shrubbery, or vines on the
- Page 37 and 38: Rule 5.05 to 5.06manager may rather
- Page 39 and 40: Rule 5.06or among spectators or int
- Page 41 and 42: Rule 5.06APPROVED RULING: If all ru
- Page 43 and 44: Rule 5.06he is awarded and all inte
- Page 45 and 46: Rule 5.06 to 5.07by a fielder befor
- Page 47 and 48: Rule 5.07The pitcher, following his
- Page 49 and 50: Rule 5.085.08 (4.09) How a Team Sco
- Page 51 and 52: Rule 5.08 to 5.09umpire’s decisio
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Rule 5.09(5) An Infield Fly is decl
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Rule 5.09Rule 5.09(a)(13) Comment (
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Rule 5.09(5) He fails to retouch hi
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Rule 5.09Rule 5.09(b)(11) Comment (
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Rule 5.09 to 5.10precedence in dete
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Rule 5.10(d) (3.03) A player once r
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Rule 5.10is put out or reaches firs
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Rule 5.10 to 5.11ner, then this pit
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Rule 5.11assumed a position on defe
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Rule 5.12(8) Except in the cases st
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Rule 6.01(6) If, in the judgment of
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Rule 6.01Rule 6.01(a) Penalty for I
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Rule 6.01cases, the umpire shall ca
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Rule 6.01(f ) (5.08) Coach and Umpi
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Rule 6.01For example: An infielder
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Rule 6.02back edge of the pitcher
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Rule 6.02APPROVED RULING: A runner
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Rule 6.02(A) Expel the pitcher, or
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Rule 6.03called out. Umpires should
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Rule 6.03(6) When the proper batter
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Rule 6.03 to 6.04runner. He does no
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Rule 7.017.00-ENDING THE GAME7.01 (
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Rule 7.02(1) A curfew imposed by la
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Rule 7.02(3) If suspended on the la
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Rule 7.037.03 Forfeited Games(a) (4
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Rule 8.01 to 8.028.00-THE UMPIRE (9
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Rule 8.02the pitch a ball, but not
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Rule 8.03 to 8.04sultation, with no
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Instructions to Umpiresstampeded by
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Rule 9.01municating with the offici
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from the point of protest, the game
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Rule 9.02batters in the sixth, noti
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Rule 9.03(b) The official scorer sh
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(1) unaided by an error and as part
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Rule 9.05 to 9.06(1) runner is forc
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Rule 9.06base and is tagged out, th
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Rule 9.07more extra bases, or permi
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9.08 SacrificesThe official scorer
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Rule 9.09(7) batter is called out f
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(2) the pitcher when, as the result
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Rule 9.12(2) when such fielder muff
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Rule 9.12 to 9.13(e) The official s
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(a) The official scorer shall score
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Rule 9.16run has scored, charged as
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Abel to third base. Charlie grounds
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Rule 9.16 to 9.17three runs. The of
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his team maintain its lead. In such
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Rule 9.21 to 9.22game. All such pla
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Rule 9.22 to 9.23If, for example, A
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Definitions of TermsDEFINITIONS OF
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Definitions of TermsA COACH is a te
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Definitions of Termsis removed duri
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Definitions of Termsas on any fly b
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Definitions of TermsOFFENSE is the
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Definitions of Terms(e)(f)(g)Touche
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APPENDICES
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Appendix 2Diagram No. 2Layout at Ho
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Appendix 4Dimensions of Fielder’s
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RULE CROSS-REFERENCE TABLEThis Cros
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RULE CROSS-REFERENCE TABLEThis Cros
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NOTES162
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2014 FORMAT
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Official Baseball Rules2015 Edition
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FOREWORDThis code of rules governs
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Summary of Rule Changes for 2015The
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Rule 1.04 to 1.10(b) No existing pl
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GRASS LINEDiagram No. 113'95' RADIU
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Diagram No. 3Suggested Layout of Pi
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Diagram No. 4HCHEFHHGDAHBIJ K L MDI
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Rule 2.00the catch, the fielder sha
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Rule 2.00A foul fly shall be judged
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Rule 2.00A LIVE BALL is a ball whic
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Rule 2.00(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)Is fouled b
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Rule 3.01 to 3.033.00—Game Prelim
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Rule 3.05 to 3.09(d)If a pitcher wh
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Rule 3.15 to 3.18touched by a throw
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Rule 4.03 to 4.064.03 When the ball
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Rule 4.09 to 4.10Example: One out,
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Rule 4.12(9) If a game is suspended
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Rule 4.13 to 4.19club for a longer
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Rule 5.01 to 5.095.00—Putting the
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Rule 5.10 to 5.11(f)(g)(h)When a fi
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Rule 6.02 to 6.05(d)THE BATTER’S
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Rule 6.05 to 6.06Rule 6.05(k) Comme
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Rule 6.07 to 6.08Rule 6.07 Comment:
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Rule 6.09 to 6.10(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)
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Rule 6.10In either case, the player
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Rule 7.04 to 7.05NOTE: When a runne
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Rule 7.06 to 7.087.06 When obstruct
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Rule 7.08Oversliding and overrunnin
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Rule 7.09 to 7.10have hindered a fi
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Rule 7.13return to the last base to
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Rule 8.01 to 8.02the ball in a deli
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Rule 8.02 to 8.05(c)Intentionally d
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Rule 8.05 to 8.06APPROVED RULING: I
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Rule 9.02 to 9.04ing bases; etc., a
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Rule 9.05When you enter a ball park
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Rule 10.01after a game concludes or
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Rule 10.02(3) Number of errors;(4)
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Rule 10.03 to 10.04batter’s safe
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Rule 10.05 to 10.06Rule 10.05(b) Co
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Rule 10.07(d)(e)(f)(g)official scor
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Rule 10.09 to 10.10(3) batter is ca
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Rule 10.12error if such fielder fie
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Rule 10.12 to 10.14(2) When the cat
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Rule 10.16In an inning in which a b
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Rule 10.16 to 10.17Rule 10.16(i) Co
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Rule 10.19 to 10.21(1) He enters th
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Rule 10.22 to 10.23Rule 10.22(b) Co
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IndexLive ball deflected into 7.05(
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IndexObstruction—2.00, 7.06, 7.09
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IndexTie Game—2.00, 4.10(d), 4.12
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NOTES97