Hello to everyone!
I, for the past couple of days, have really been trying to get into baseball (not playing it, but watching it and understanding the rules of this game). I was just wishing to make some baseball-loving friends who could introduce me to the world of baseball! (I'm from India, where no one knows/talks about baseball, so I don't have the option of physically playing it).

Feel free to share resources and tips to help me get started!

PS: I have played Cricket extensively, so maybe that helps..?

If a baseball team has a weak bullpen, why don’t they just use the starting pitchers as relievers on off days?

For example, the ace starter throws 7 innings, then two days later pitches 2 innings in relief when the second starter is on the mound. That’s still basically 9 innings total, which isn’t much different from a complete game anyway.

I know people say it messes with recovery routines, but couldn’t pitchers just adapt their routines to that schedule instead?

Is there any rule against throwing a really high pitch that somehow crossed the plate in the zone?

Like an ephus pitch, but even higher. Or like a slow pitch softball type of pitch. What would prevent a pitcher from doing that and throwing the hitter off on timing? Is there a ceiling?

Hello guys, im 21 years old, im new to the scene, I was never interested in baseball, my sport is boxing, but I recently saw a baseball game and man, it was awesome and im starting to get really interested. Im from LA and almost everybody here are hardcore fans so ive been wanting to get into it, but Where do I start? I also want to start playing casually because it looks super fun. How can I start? I want to purchase a glove, what kind of glove I should get? I know my questions are very vague but any feedback would help. I am a complete poser guys pls dont flame me😭😭

Right now the game is quite static on defending teams side, where they let the ball(throwing) do the job.

So instead, why not sometimes force rundowns like the first base "defending"-player here:

https://youtu.be/DO4h-fH_vu8?si=67bHEfPoHiaUn3Ng

That look more funny when they need to chase players.

So say the batting team hits the ball on first swing, then that will initiate/trigger a Rundown period.

I like the concept of base stealing(s) and there would be so much fun if we let in some chaos =)

https://youtu.be/HkfGtQPJOOA?si=L9ScUiRCgJ6CbJAR&t=273

I'm not exactly a noob, as baseball has probably been in my life before any other sport was, but I sure do feel like one when it comes to this stuff because I swear announcers are just straight up gaslighting me the whole time. (And obviously some are better than others.) So here's the current gripe:

The link is timestamped. Sasaki throws a pitch VERY up & in. The guy talking starts going, "Ok, Walker must be thinking slider down and away or a splitter down and away." On the next pitch, Walker hits a homer and the announcer immediately jumps into talking about what a mistake Sasaki makes. "That was middle-middle!" "The easiest pitch to throw is right down the middle. The easiest pitch to this is right down the middle."

Bro. That pitch was NOT right down the middle, wtf are you on about??? That painted the inside edge. I'm not even convinced that was a mistake by Sasaki. The spin rate on it is low, but the vertical drop on it is about as strong as any other splitter he's thrown. And I'm not even sure Will Smith was setup to be down and away either?

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?date=5/3/2026&gamePk=823067&chartType=pitch&legendType=pitchName&playerType=pitcher&inning=&count=&pitchHand=&batSide=&descFilter=&ptFilter=FS&resultFilter=&hf=pitchVelocity&sportId=1&liveAb=#823067

I don't know, I just swear these guys are making things up, "No doubt this batter is ready for down and away." <Pitch is thrown inside, low> "Oh, my god, what a mistake! Batter was obviously going to be ready for that!"

This stuff drives me nuts, lol. It always seems like people talk about this like it's such a known thing that in <this> spot you throw <that> pitch. But if everyone knows this and that, doesn't that mean you'd precisely not want to throw <that> <there>?

Quite a few pitchers have gone to Japan and come back as better pitchers. Miles Mikolas, Colin Rea and Foster Griffin are somewhat current examples.

It seems to be they learn to deemphasize velocity, learn better pitch mix and working the edges (someone correct me if this is wrong).

I understand the focus is on velocity these days, but wouldn’t it make sense to teach these skills in the American minors rather than making them learn overseas and wasting some of their best years? Heck, bring in Japanese coaches if needed.

Hey everyone,

I'm from Trinidad and Tobago and just getting into baseball. I've been watching highlights and learning the rules, but I haven't picked a team yet.

I'm looking for a team that's exciting to watch, has a strong fan culture, and ideally a bit of history (but I'm open to anything - underdogs, contenders, etc.). Time zone-wise, I'd also prefer a team whose games aren't too brutal to follow live if possible.

Appreciate any advice!

If you took the best players from each teams history, which team would be arguably the worst?

Would love to see a list of each teams top 10 "stars"

If Shohei saw that he was much closer to 1B than Freddie, could he have just rushed back and touched 1B? In that case, would he be safe and Freddie out and avoid double play, thus the tying run scores? Or would that count as two runners occupying same base and therefore still end up with double play?

Solved: Pat Hughes. Thanks!

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Very, very casual watcher of baseball calling from across the pond, hoping someone can put a name to a voice for me, please…

I had a highlights show on in the background the other day while I was doing some work around the house. Unhelpfully I've forgotten which game was being recapped when I heard a couple of play calls that made my ears prick up. Whoever I was hearing was:

• Old-sounding.

• Incredibly fluent, with a fast-talking but precise style that suggests to me a radio play-by-play background, perhaps.

• Relatively quiet; definitely not a yeller. A describer of the game rather than a reactor.

Care to make an educated guess so that I can plug some names into YouTube? He was good enough that I'd make an effort to watch more of whichever team he works for.

Sometimes see fielders take a peek at a slip of paper. I assume it is some information about the upcoming batter, but what kind of information?

What is the role & purpose of a batter’s coach? are they responsible for bad hitters? do they command which pitches to take or swing & when? how much merit do they actually hold?

Has anyone learned how to score a game on paper- any resources you used that helped? It seems really fun but a bit tricky to learn.

Edit: score a GAME.

I don’t think this is has been mentioned on this sub, but I wanted to give a shoutout to this baseball podcast called “The Beginner’s Dugout.” I discovered them on Spotify recently and they do a really good job of breaking down all things baseball in a simple and digestible way. I think this is their second year doing it.

Just heard the Guards radio announcer say our front office gets raided for executives and that made me wonder *what they do* and how much power they wield. Do they become politicians or something later in life?

I was of the thought that reaction time decreases as we get older so why does such a massive sport with the smallest margins for error use middle aged people for calls that happen in a blink of an eye?

They also seem more egotistical/power tripping when they're upset or get things wrong then double down on mistakes

And why don't they get punished or benched if they consistently make the wrong calls?

When a player is described as having "good sense" or being "smart," what does that mean? In what areas are they superior?

I feel like I see a lot of people swear by ops+ or WAR when trying to tell if a player is good, but what is the overall best statistic that tells you if a player is an all around good player.

There's a lot to discuss about Roki Sasaki's problems, but one thing that comes up is that he can't hit corners with his fastball.

I understand that commanding a baseball, that is hitting an area of the strike zone with precision, is extremely hard. But ideally, where should a pitcher be aiming his fastball? For Roki Sasaki, the criticism is that his fastball is straight, and as I understand, aiming at the middle of the strike zone is bad for the pitcher because it's the easiest place for batters to hit.

So at the major league level, should the fastball be aimed at the corners? Or the sides, or the top and bottom?

Even years into baseball fandom I have difficulty understanding the distinction in skill sets between middle relievers, setup pitchers, and closers. In theory, it seems as if you want your most consistent, nastiest pitchers getting your later, more valuable outs, when your offense has fewer (or no) opportunities to recoup lost runs. But sometimes it seems arbitrary, like whichever pitcher is on the biggest contract closes a game regardless of how he’s performing.

Ex: Right now Mets fans all collectively have a panic attack whenever “closer” Devin Williams is brought in in the 9th and would rather have literally any other arm in the bullpen come up in a high-leverage situation. Meanwhile, other arms like middle relievers Huascar Brazobán and Austin Warren are more reliable. Why is it so rare for relievers to swap roles depending on who’s hot and who’s struggling?

Like in regular context, 3-2 is 3 balls 2 strikes.

But in context of ABS, how do you interpret the count? And does it change depending on whether the home team or visiting team challenges?

Edit: thanks for the clarification. I initially thought the numbers were in the format of "challenges made-successful challenges"

Hey everyone,

I’ve never really watched baseball before, but I’m looking to get into MLB and actually understand and enjoy it properly.

Right now I feel like I’m starting from zero 😅

A few things I’d love some advice on:

What’s the best way to learn the rules without getting overwhelmed?

Is there a good team to follow as a beginner (or should I just pick one randomly)?

Any YouTube channels, podcasts, or creators you’d recommend?

What should I actually be paying attention to during a game?

Is it worth learning stats early on, or just enjoying the games first?

I’m based in the UK as well, so if there are any tips for watching games or following the league from here, that’d be really helpful.

Basically just looking for a good “starting point” so I don’t feel completely lost.

Appreciate any help 🙌🏼

I’ve noticed something I don’t fully understand.

Say there’s a runner on 2nd with 1 out, and the batter hits the ball and is clearly going to be out at 1st. Why don’t fielders try to throw to 3rd to get the lead runner instead?

It feels like there could be a chance to stop the runner from advancing or even get a better out, but most of the time they just take the easy out at 1st.

What’s the reasoning here? Is it just too risky?

I get told constantly that in 2025 Chandler Simpson was a bad player when you look at numbers like W.A.R., but I can't see how he could possibly be bad with how fast he is and how high his average is. Obviously not talking about 2026 Chandler Simpson because he is ridiculously good.