Obscure baseball rules, explained

You’ve got the basics of baseball down: you know that the team with the most runs wins, some different ways a team can score, and the other tenets of the game. But sometimes, some more lesser-known or less obvious events can occur, even over the course of a relatively ‘normal’ baseball game. There are some more obscure rules that factor into a vast majority of games, so they’re worth knowing as you watch the game.

Here’s a look at a handful of such rules:

Interference
Here’s a less run-of-the-mill way to reach base. If the catcher (or any other fielder) interferes with the batter during a pitch, that batter gets first base. One possible way this could occur is if the catcher’s mitt is in the path of the bat during the batter’s swing.

When the batter gets first base, any existing baserunners are treated in the way they would be if the batter was walked. In other words, if there’s a runner on first base, that runner moves up, and the same with first and second or first, second and third. But if first base is empty, any baserunners do not advance.

If the play where the interference occurs results in a batted ball or other event, the batting team’s manager can elect to go with the outcome of the event instead of taking of first base. This might be of note if there’s interference but the batter hits a double, therefore getting one more base than he would have if awarded first base on interference.

The Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury is the all-time leader in interference on record, with 31 instances.

Dropped third strikes

You know the usual rules with a strikeout, typically a batter either swings and misses at a pitch with two strikes, or is caught looking at a strike with two already against him. But sometimes, that third strike isn’t the end of the play.

When the catcher does not catch the pitch that was the third strike or if the pitch bounces before the catcher gets a chance to catch it, if there is no runner on first base or if there is a runner on first base and two outs, the batter can run to first, despite the third strike -- the batter is not yet out and must be tagged out or out on a force play.

Even if the batter reaches first base on a dropped third strike, the batter is still credited with having struck out, and the pitcher records a strikeout. This makes it technically possible for a pitcher to have four strikeouts in an inning. The most recent such instance was Luke Bard in April of this season.

Save rules

Pitchers can be credited with wins and losses, but did you know a pitcher can also get a save? A save goes to a relief pitcher on the team that wins the game, but only under certain circumstances. In order to record a save, that relief pitcher must either: enter the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitch at least an inning, enter the game with the tying run on deck, at the plate or on the bases, or simply pitch at least the final three innings of a game.

The most common saves are of the first two varieties, but there have been notable instances of the three-inning kind as well. Typically, saves occur in close games -- as indicated by the first two potential criteria. However, in a game on Aug. 22, 2007, the Texas Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, and reliever Wes Littleton received a save because he pitched the final three innings for the Rangers.

Slide rule on double plays

You’ve probably seen a team turn a double play, and have seen how the runner heading from first to second can disturb the motion of the play and perhaps cause the runner at first to be safe.

However, this can only happen within certain parameters. When a runner is sliding into a base and attempting to break up a double play, that runner has to make what is designated a “bona fide slide.” This is defined by “the runner making contact with the ground before reaching the base, being able to reach the base with a hand or foot, being able to remain on the base at the completion of the slide (except at home plate) and not changing his path for the purpose of initiating contact with a fielder.”

Essentially, this rule prevents a runner from running directly into the fielder or using his body to block him. It does not apply to accidental contact that can occur during the course of an allowed slide. If the fielder is in the runner’s legal path to the base, that is deemed accidental contact.

When a baserunner violates this rule, both runners are called out.

Home-plate collisions

Similarly to the above rule that prevents a runner from deviating from a permissible slide to prevent a double play, there is a rule about a runner heading for home plate making contact with the catcher.

A baserunner is not allowed to deviate from his “direct path” to make contact with a player covering the plate, which is typically the catcher. If a runner collides with the catcher when a slide could have been used to avoid the collision, that runner is in violation of this rule. If the umpire rules this, the runner is out and any other baserunners return to the base they were at prior to the collision.

However, this rule isn’t just about the baserunner. It also imposes a rule on the catcher on non-force plays, who cannot block the runner’s path to the plate unless he has the ball or is in the midst of a legitimate attempt to catch it in that spot. If a catcher is ruled to have broken this rule, the runner can be ruled safe, but if he was beaten by the throw, he will not always be called safe in this situation.

Mound visits

The pitching coach and manager will sometimes head out to the mound to talk with a pitcher during a difficult inning, but there’s a limit on such visits and face-to-face communication. Any member of the coaching staff including the manager can make just one visit total to each pitcher per inning. If there is a second visit, the team must remove that pitcher from the game -- which typically happens in planned fashion, not due to the rule being called.

You may see an abbreviation like “MVR” on a scoreboard. This refers to the mound visits remaining. In addition to the per-inning restrictions, there is an overall limit of five mound visits per team for a game, with each team receiving an additional visit for each extra inning played.

Teams do not lose a mound visit when checking on a pitcher in an injury situation.

Balks & infield fly rule

Two other obscure rules worth noting -- on balks and infield flies -- are covered in more detail at the links below.

Balks

A balk is essentially something to keep the pitcher in check, a rule that’s called when a pitcher sets up ready to throw, but then steps off the pitching rubber.

Infield fly rule

The infield fly rule exists to prevent an infielder from purposely failing to catch a ball in order to make another play instead -- to potentially get more outs.