Baseball field

[5] These poles are at the intersection of the foul lines and the respective ends of the outfield fence and, unless otherwise specified within the ground rules, lie in fair territory.

[citation needed] A tall first baseman has a larger range for reaching and catching errant throws.

The second baseman and shortstop ideally possess quick feet and the ability to release the ball rapidly and accurately.

Particular agility is required of the second baseman in double play situations, which usually force the player to throw towards first base while their momentum carries them in the opposite direction.

A third baseman ideally possesses quick reaction to batted balls and a strong arm to make the long throw to first base.

Unlike the other bases, home plate is a five-sided slab of white rubber that is set at ground level.

At the moment the defense begins the attempt, the baserunner's running baseline is established as a direct line from his current position to the base he is trying for.

It is usually drawn in chalk on the dirt surrounding home plate, and the insides of the boxes are watered down before each game.

This peculiar distance was set by the rule makers in 1893, not due to a clerical or surveying error as popular myth has it, but intentionally (further details under History).

On youth and amateur baseball fields, the mound may be much different from the rule book definition due to erosion and repair attempts.

This may be a flat grate-style plate, or simply a hand tool such as a piece of wood used to remove mud and dirt from cleats.

These items are allowed to remain on the backside of the mound at the discretion of the umpire, thus reducing the probability that they will affect a live play.

Dirt running paths between the bases (and, at one time and still in some parks, between the pitcher and the catcher) have existed since the beginning of the game, although they were not mentioned in the rule books until around 1950, and their specifications are flexible.

In addition to providing a running path, the grass lines act as a visual aid so that players, umpires and fans may better judge distance from the center of the diamond.

Multiple World Series championships (including 1924, 1960 and 1986) have been decided or heavily influenced by erratic hops of ground balls.

Among Major League Baseball fields, Rogers Centre was the last stadium to maintain this type of configuration and was reconfigured with a full dirt infield starting in the 2016 MLB season.

A warning track this wide also lets groundskeepers avoid driving maintenance vehicles on the grass.

The minimum distance to hit a home run (along either foul line) is set by baseball rules, generally at 325 feet (99 m).

the foul lines extended indefinitely; a batter was awarded a home run only if a fly ball out of the field was fair where it landed.

Several parks featuring advertising along the length of the foul pole, with the most prominent example being the advertising from Chick-fil-A at both Citi Field and Daikin Park (serving as a pun, with "fowl" being another term for a chicken, the primary meat featured by that restaurant chain).

Managers can call coaches in the bullpen on an in-house telephone from the dugout to tell a certain pitcher to begin their warmup tosses.

By the time major league baseball began in the 1870s, the pitcher was compelled to pitch from within a "box" whose front edge was 45 feet (14 m) from the "point" of home plate.

[21] Before the mid-20th century, it was common for baseball fields to include a dirt pathway between the pitcher's mound and home plate.

Once the rounded pitcher's mound was developed, the path became more ornamental than practical, and was gradually thinned before being largely abandoned by the 1950s.

In recent years some ballparks, such as Comerica Park and Chase Field in the major leagues, have revived the feature for nostalgic reasons.

[25] For the rest of the century materials varied between stone, iron and wood, but at all times it was a white twelve-inch square.

[26] The pentagonal shape and the mandatory use of rubber were developed by Robert Keating, who had pitched one game for the 1887 Baltimore Orioles; the new plate was adopted by the National League in 1900.

Up until that time, the batter was required to hit with their front foot on a line passing through the center of the plate.

[27] The 1874 batters' boxes were 6 feet by 3 feet, 12 inches from the plate; the modern dimensions (6' x 4') were instituted in 1885 by the National League and the following year by the American Association The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) presents various awards each year.

[28] STMA also presents the Baseball Field of the Year Award, which includes Schools and Parks, College/University and Professional categories.