As we all know, baseball is a complicated sport.  There are stats upon stats, numbers galore and lingo that can make zero sense to an outsider.  As someone who follows the game rather closely, I’m still amazed at everything that I learn every time I turn on a game.

Can you imagine what it must be like for someone who didn’t grow up watching the game?  We, baseball fans, can be a little intimidating at times.  Well, that’s why I’m here.

“Baseball For Beginners” is just what it sounds like, an introduction to baseball for those that may have just discovered the sport (or those of you who have been following for a while, but had questions you were too scared to ask).  Every other Tuesday, we’ll tackle a different aspect of the game, some basic and some not so much.

This week, we’ll go through “the starting 9″:

During a baseball game, there are always 9 players on the field at a time (not including the batter).  The positions are as follows:

1 – Pitcher

2 – Catcher

3 – 1st Base

4 – 2nd Base

5 – 3rd Base

6 – Short Stop

7 – Left Field

8 – Center Field

9 – Right Field

So, when you hear the announcer say that was a “6-4-3 double play”, you know that the short stop fielded the ball, threw to the 2nd baseman, who threw to the 1st baseman.  Now these numbers are not to be confused with the batting order … which is just what it sounds like the order the guys bat.

A general rule of thumb if you have trouble remembering the order:  You always start with the guy who starts the game with the ball, the pitcher.  He throws to the catcher (#2), then you cover the bases (1st, 2nd, 3rd), then short stop.  Then you go to the closest outfielder (left field), then to center, then right.  Ta da!  So simple!

Pretty basic, I know, but in order to really follow a baseball game, especially the announcing, it’s a pretty critical thing to know.  I’ve had several friends who are just learning the game say they never know what’s going on because of all the numbers.

Most of these posts are inspired by a few of my girl friends whom I have been “tutoring” in baseball for the past 2 seasons.  If you have a baseball-related question or topic you’d like to see discussed or explained here, please shoot me an email at LorInBigD@gmail.com or tweet at me @LorInBigD.