Outfield

The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield.

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.

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 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.

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.