Softball Rules

In softball, a pitcher must throw the ball with an underhand motion.

Softball Pitcher

Softball has been around for nearly as long as baseball. The Kidzworld Coach has the 411 on the rules and history of softball.

A umpire makes a call during a game of softball.

Playing Softball

History of Softball

Softball is believed to have been invented in Chicago in 1887. The first game was played indoors, with a tied up boxing glove used as a ball and a broom stick pole used as a bat. In 1889, people began to play the ball game outdoors on smaller fields. For the next several years, the game was called various names such as Kitten Ball and Diamond Ball, before finally being called softball in 1926.

Rules of Softball - Scoring Runs

Softball is much like baseball. The sport is played by two teams, nine players per team on the field, with each team taking turns at batting and defense. The aim of the game is to advance a runner around all bases to home plate and score the most runs. Each team�s half of the inning ends when three of its batters have been ruled out.

Rules of Softball - Making Outs

In softball, a batter is out if:

The batted ball is caught in the air.

The batted ball is caught and thrown successfully to any base before a runner gets there.

A baserunner is tagged by the ball (touched by the ball or the glove of a player in defense) while off of a base.

Three strikes are called by the umpire.

Rules of Softball - The Field and Innings

The dimensions of a softball diamond are slightly smaller than a baseball diamond. The distances between bases is 60 feet and the distance from the pitcher's mound to homeplate is 40 feet for girls' softball and 43 feet for boys' softball.

A game of softball is seven innings. If the score is tied, extra innings are played.

Rules of Softball - Pitching and Equipment

The biggest difference between softball and baseball is the pitching motion. The pitcher must throw the ball with an underhand motion and they may only take one step forward when pitching the ball.

Runners are not allowed to lead off until the ball has left the pitcher's hand. If a runner leads off before the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, they are called out.

The Ball - A softball has a circumference of 12 inches.

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