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Many people believe that hitting a ball thrown by a major league pitcher is the hardest thing to do in any sport.

batter swinging at a pitch

A batter must be able to coordinate his or her thoughts and reactions within a split second. Since the ball arrives over home plate in speeds up to 100 miles an hour, the batter’s decision about whether or not to swing must occur almost without conscious thought.

Click through the tabs below to see some of the things to keep in mind as a batter.

The Bat

The Grip

The Swing

Designated Hitter

Batter Rules

Choose a bat that is comfortable in your hands. You should be able to swing the bat and keep it level. Do not choose a bat that is so heavy that it tends to drop down as you swing.

The bat can be gripped in three positions: full-length, with the bottom hand resting against the knob of the handle; modified, with the bottom hand an inch or so up from the knob; and choked-up, with the bottom hand about a hand’s width up from the knob. A full-length grip will provide you with the most power but the least control. A modified grip will give you a better balance of power and control, and the choked-up grip will give you good control at the expense of some power. However, each batter must determine the grip that best suits his/her own strength, style, and ability.

While waiting for the pitch, stand with your feet apart, knees slightly flexed, and arms away from your body. The first rule in batting is to keep your eyes on the ball at all times. Concentration is a very important skill of a good hitter.

When the pitcher throws the ball, start your swing by pivoting your hips, shoulders, and arms slightly back. Then, shift your body forward with the swing. Your bat should move in a smooth arc toward and through the ball. The final burst of power occurs when your wrists “snap” as your bat crosses over home plate to make contact with the ball. Follow through with your swing.

You may employ a number of different hitting techniques in order to place the ball in certain areas. You may take a full swing and hit the ball, or you may try to poke the ball between fielders. This strategy is called place hitting. You can also hit the ball gently, which is called a bunt. A bunt may be used for an attempted base hit or for a sacrifice. With a sacrifice bunt, you attempt to help runners advance bases by getting out yourself.

The biggest difference between the American and National leagues is the designated hitter rule. In the National League, every player who plays a position on the field must bat, including the pitcher. In the American League, a batter may be picked to hit and run the bases for the current pitcher or for any other pitchers who later enter the game. This batter is called the designated hitter and must be listed on the lineup card before the game.

These rules apply to the batter specifically.

1

The batters must come promptly, in an established order, to take their turns at bat.
2

Strikes may be called when:

  • The pitch crosses the plate in the strike zone. The strike zone is the area over home plate that begins beneath the batter’s kneecap and ends halfway between the waist and the shoulders when the batter is in a natural bat- swinging position.
  • The batter hits the pitch foul; that is, the ball settles outside the foul lines. The important exception here is that this kind of strike can only be called for the batter’s first and second strikes, not the third. The only time a foul hit can be called as the third strike is when it is a bunt.
  • The pitch touches the batter in the strike zone.
3

A batter may not leave the position in the batter’s box after the pitcher comes to a set position or starts the windup.
4

Balls may be called when:

  • A pitch is not swung at and does not enter the strike zone.
  • The not-swung-at pitch hits home plate or the ground before entering the strike zone.
  • The pitcher makes an illegal pitch while the bases are unoccupied. (If the bases are occupied, it’s a balk.)
  • The batter is hit by the pitch outside the strike zone.
5

Reasons a batter may be called out:

  • The batted ball hits the batter outside of the batter’s box.
  • The batter interferes with the catcher.
  • The batter fails to get into the proper position promptly after being called by the umpire.
  • The batter uses an illegal bat.
  • After hitting a fair ball and moving toward first base, the batter is hit by the ball before a fielder has a chance to make a play on it.
  • A player bats out of order.
6

The Infield Fly Rule: an infield fly is a fair fly ball that can be easily caught by an infielder. The batter is called out for hitting an infield fly when there are fewer than two outs and there are runners on first and second, or first, second, and third.
7

The batter is awarded a base(s) when:

  • A hit is made.
  • The batter is hit by a pitch.
  • Four balls are called and a walk is given.
  • A fair ball accidentally touches a base runner before a fielder has a chance to make a play on it.
  • A ball thrown by a fielder goes out of play—into the stands or lodges in the fence. In this case, the batter is awarded two bases.
  • A fielder tries to knock down a batted ball by throwing a glove or hat at it. Three bases are then awarded.
  • There is interference from a spectator, such as leaning over the sideboard or running onto the field.
8

If a player is on first, and the batter gets a hit, the player on first must go to the next base.
9

A batter who replaces another batter is referred to as a pinch hitter.