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Rules
Pesäpallo is Finland's national game and its rules are governed by the Finnish Pesäpallo Association. In principle, all pesäpallo matches follow the same rules. At the top level, there may be some exceptions, such as the possibility in men's Superpesis of leaving a batter out when the field is empty.

The minor pesäpallo rules apply to F- and G- junior matches. The minor pesäpallo rules contain a few exceptions to the pesäpallo rules of the game, which serve to ensure the smooth running of matches for the youngest juniors. Similarly, a separate set of rules has been developed for the 5-7 player Little League.

In recreational pesäpallo, the organiser of a tournament or series determines any exceptions to the rules of the game. In general, there are three types of rules for recreational pesäpallo, depending on the degree of competitiveness.

In addition to the rules of the game, the way tournaments and series are played can be specified by competition regulations. In addition to the general competition rules, regional and national camps have their own competition rules.

History
The first rules were published in 1922, and have been subject to modest changes over the years and decades as the game has developed and evolved.

General structure
A modern competition game is played in two periods of four innings each. A period is won by the team which scores more runs in its offensive half-innings. If each of the teams wins one period, the game will be decided by an extra period, which consists of one inning and, if necessary to break the tie, of a special scoring contest.

During an inning both teams take turns playing offense (batting) and defense (fielding).

The defensive team has nine players on the field. The offensive team can use three jokers (designated hitters) during one half-inning in addition to the nine players in the regular batting order. The offensive team can continue batting until three players have been put out or one round of the batting order has been completed without at least two runs scored.

The batter and the pitcher face each other in the home base, on opposite sides of the circular plate. The pitch is delivered by throwing the ball directly upwards above the plate, to a height of at least 1 meter over the head of the pitcher.

Defensive strategy
Pitching

Fielding strategy

Batting team
The batter has three strikes available on his turn at bat. A fair hit does not force him to advance; he can use all three strikes at bat before he becomes a runner. A pitch counts as a strike, if the batter takes a swing at the ball or if the umpire rules the pitch legal. If the pitcher delivers a bad pitch (ball), the batter is granted a walk to the first base only if the field is empty. If there are runners on the field, the point runner is granted a walk to the next base for the second bad pitch. A pitch is ruled bad, if the ball does not fall on the plate, if the pitch is too low or if the pitcher commits a violation.

A hit is foul, if the ball first touches the field outside of the boundaries. The batter or the runners cannot advance on a foul hit. If the fielders get control of the ball before it touches the field, the hit is a catch, and all runners who tried to advance on that play are caught. Players who have been caught are removed from the field, but they do not count as outs.

Batters and runners After the batter becomes a runner, he must try to advance safely to the first base. The runner reaches safety on a base by touching the base area before the ball is thrown to a fielder in the base. If the ball gets to the base first, the runner is put out and removed from the field. The batter is also put out, if his third strike is foul hit. A runner on a base is forced to advance, if the next runner reaches safety on the same base.

The offensive team scores a run, when a runner returns safely to the home base after advancing safely through all three field bases. If a batter advances to the third base on his own fair hit, he scores a home run. He can then stay on the third base and try to score again as a regular runner by reaching the home base on a later play.

Pesäpallo field
The lay-out and dimensions of the playing field for men, women, boys or children are shown in the attached diagrams, as are the names of various elements of the field.

The plate is a hard circular plate with a thickness between 3 and 5 cm and a diameter of 60 cm. The top surface of the plate shall be evenly horizontal and raised between 3 and 5 cm above the field surface. The plate shall be firmly fixed to the ground.

The front arc of the home base can be equipped with an arc-shaped plate made of plywood as shown on the home base diagram. The arc plate must be sunk in the ground, on level with the surface.

The home base boundary on the field side is a straight line. The safety of the offensiveplayer as well as the location of the defensive player on home base is decided by the straight base line. The front arc only applies to determining the fairness of a hit: a hit that first touches the front arc or field between the arc and the home base line is foul.

The immediate field consists of the home base and the area bounded by and including thesidelines and the backline. The immediate field shall be surrounded on all sides with an open area of at least 10 meters width. Every field base has its own safe zone.

The boundary lines shall be drawn with slaked lime, chalk or other clearly visible (white)material. The width of the boundary line is 10 cm. The umpire zone is the safe zone of the first base.

Pesäpallo (ball)
The pesäpallo ball is made of polyester, rubber and synthetic yarn. The ball used by men weighs 160-165 grams and the ball used by women weighs 135-140 grams. The circumference of the ball is between 21.6 and 22.2 cm. The smallest juniors use a child ball, which weighs between 95 and 100 grams.

The pesäpallo balls are always round. The traditional colour of the ball is yellow. Other colours are orange and pink. The ball must be safe and visible in all conditions.

The best speed of the ball is 175-180 km/h (109-112 mph) for men and 145-150 km/h (90-93 mph) for women. In Superpesis, the balls are warmed up before the match, which means that favourable changes in the ball's structure take place to improve its elasticity and flight characteristics.

Temperature, wind and wear affect the properties of the ball. Weather variations have a major impact on the ball. In warmer weather, the ball is more elastic and faster because it has a rubber surface. In a strong headwind, high drives will not go very far, but ground hits may go very hard. During the game, the surface rubber wears away improving the trajectory as the game progresses.

Moisture makes the ball slippery, which affects shot performance. A wet ball can also easily slip out of an outfielder's hand at the time of the throw.

Official balls
Only balls approved by the PPL may be used in official games. Official baseballs are manufactured by Suomipesis Oy and Karhu (L-Tec Sport).

All official balls have a circumference between 215 and 225 mm.
 * The weight of a men's ball is between 155 and 165 g.
 * The weight of a women's ball is between 130 and 140 g.
 * The weight of a children's ball is between 90 and 100 g.

Criteria
The balls used in Superpesis are strictly defined. They are subject to strict criteria in terms of size, weight and elasticity.

In addition to size and weight, the elasticity characteristics must fall within certain limits for both new and old balls. This ensures that the elasticity properties of the different ball brands are sufficiently close to each other.

A specific testing system has been developed for the balls in cooperation with the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport, equipment manufacturers, the sports federation and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The balls are tested annually and the decision to approve them for use is taken by the Pesäpallo Federation's Competition Management Committee.

Overview
The ball is made up of a rubber core, wool mix yarn, car tyre rubber and surface fabric. A special yarn mixture has been developed for the pesäpallo. The yarn plays an important role in the durability of the ball.

The rubber core and the yarn come as a ready-made raw material. The yarn is bonded with the mixtures and dried. The ball is then covered with vulcanised rubber, placed in a mould and pressed under a pressure of eight kilograms. The ball is then baked in the oven for about 1,5 hours. During baking, the rubber vulcanises and the ball becomes elastic.

Pesäpallo bat
The bats of top pesäpallo players are made of carbon and glass fibre. Both men and women usually hit with a one-metre bat, but some also use a few centimetres shorter. For the smallest juniors, the maximum length is 90 centimetres. The majority of men use a bat weighing 595-620 grams without taping, while women use a bat weighing 550-570 grams.

The bat may be covered with reinforcing material, such as plastic or textile tape or comparable product.

In general, players tape the hard hitting point and also part of the shaft. Taping increases friction, without it the surface of the bat is slippery. Taping also adds a few tens of grams to the weight of the bat, depending on the amount of tape.

A bat used in an official game must be approved by the PPL.

Pesäpallo helmet
Helmets must be worn by all players on the inside shift, and by all players on the outside shift except the pitcher and fielders. Helmets became compulsory for men in 1989 and for women in 1994. This follows an accident in 1985 when a male pesäpallo player playing catcher in the front court was hit in the head by a ball and died.

The risk of head injuries is therefore highest in the front court, whether it is an outdoor or indoor game. When running between first and second base, the runner is closer to home than to the crossline, and the ball is also coming at the runner from slightly behind. For men, the ball's launch speed increases to 180-190 km/h for the hardest hitters and 155 km/h for women.

A protective helmet approved by the PPL must be used in official games played with the men's ball. The pitcher and the outfielders of the defensive team need not use the helmet.

All other fielders, the batter and the runners must wear the helmet. In official games played with the women's ball all infielders, the batter and the runners must wear the helmet.

When a player is not wearing a helmet when so required, he shall be penalized. In case of a defensive player: a notice is given against him on the first occasion, and on subsequent violations he shall be given a warning.

In case of an offensive player: his actions on the play shall be nullified, and a technical out is called against his team.

An offensive player must wear his helmet properly placed before settling at bat (before the pitcher has acquired the right-to-pitch). If the helmet comes off inadvertently, the runner may continue play until he has reached final decision.

Pesäpallo glove
A pesäpallo glove is made of leather, and the size of the different parts may vary depending on the type of player wearing the glove. Junior models may have a smaller palm section and a larger pocket section than adult models. The glove then fits better in a small hand, and the large pouch part makes it easier to catch the ball.

In men's games, in particular, the strokes and throws are hard, so the glove must have a stiffer construction than the junior models. Junior gloves are often made of softer leather than adult models.

A glove approved by the PPL may be used by the fielding players to help catching and controlling the ball.

Using any other kind of equipment to catch the ball is not allowed.

Uniform
A traditional uniform consists of a short-sleeved jersey, an undershirt and trousers that come below the knee. There are also longer trouser models. Since many players dive when running to and catching the bases, the sleeves of the undershirt often have elbow to wrist protectors. Both sleeves of the jersey have a detachable number on them that indicates the player's batting number. Pesäpallo players wear stilettos as footwear.

Rules

 * Rules of pesäpallo
 * Ejections (pesäpallo)
 * Ground rules (pesäpallo)
 * Infield fly rule (pesäpallo)
 * Interference (pesäpallo)
 * Protested game (pesäpallo)
 * Strike zone (pesäpallo)
 * Suspended game (pesäpallo)
 * Unwritten rules (pesäpallo)
 * Cheating (pesäpallo)
 * Comparsion of pesäpallo and baseball


 * Interference (Pesäpallo)
 * Penalty (pesäpallo)
 * Delay of game (pesäpallo)
 * Nullified play (pesäpallo)
 * Delayed ruling

Field

 * Pesäpallo field
 * Plate (pesäpallo)
 * Field bases
 * Home line
 * Front arc
 * Sidelines
 * Backline (pesäpallo)
 * Safe zones (pesäpallo)
 * Safe lane
 * Open area
 * Playing area
 * Field area
 * Limited area
 * Infield
 * Outfield
 * Starting path
 * Diagonal path
 * Crosspath
 * Home path
 * Flagpole
 * Immediate field
 * Umpire zone

Equipment

 * Pesäpallo (ball)
 * Pesäpallo bat
 * Pesäpallo helmet
 * Pesäpallo glove
 * Pesäpallo uniform
 * Uniform number (pesäpallo)

Game process

 * Draw of choice
 * Batting order (pesäpallo)
 * Inning (pesäpallo)
 * Offensive half
 * Defensive half
 * Bottom half
 * Period (pesäpallo)
 * Super inning
 * Scoring contest
 * Change of inning
 * Time-out
 * Half-time


 * Out (pesäpallo)
 * Pesäpallo positions
 * Run (pesäpallo)
 * Pace of play (pesäpallo)


 * Playtactics
 * Empty field
 * Runner on first
 * Runner on second
 * Front loaded field
 * Run-on play
 * Free hit play
 * Pick-off play
 * Runner on third
 * Back-loaded field
 * Loading up
 * Squeeze play scoring
 * Force play scoring
 * Free hit scoring
 * Clearout hit

Batting

 * Batting (pesäpallo)
 * Batting order (pesäpallo)
 * Batting number
 * Turn (pesäpallo)
 * Settling at bat
 * Fair hit
 * Foul hit
 * Out-of-bounds
 * Walk


 * Hard hit
 * Ground hit
 * Fly hit
 * Line drive
 * High drive
 * Snap hit
 * Slow hit
 * Bouncer
 * Crossbat hit
 * Missed strike


 * Batting count (pesäpallo)
 * Batting out of order (pesäpallo)
 * Checked swing (pesäpallo)
 * Designated hitter (pesäpallo)
 * Foul ball (pesäpallo)
 * Hit (pesäpallo)
 * Home run (pesäpallo)
 * Switch hitter (pesäpallo)
 * Batter (pesäpallo)
 * Last available batter
 * Joker (peäspallo)

Pitching

 * Pitching (pesäpallo)
 * Right-to-pitch
 * Strike (pesäpallo)
 * Bad pitch
 * Low pitch
 * Wide pitch
 * Tangent violation
 * Yielding violation
 * Out-of-bounds pitch


 * Pole pitch
 * Held pitch
 * Normal pitch
 * Intentional bad pitch


 * Pitching position (pesäpallo)

Base running

 * Base running (pesäpallo)
 * Runner (pesäpallo)
 * Point runner
 * Tailing runner
 * Right-to-advance
 * Advancing
 * Safety
 * Contested base
 * Run (pesäpallo)
 * Home run (pesäpallo)
 * Double run (pesäpallo)
 * Caught
 * Double catch
 * Base violation
 * Retouch (pesäpallo)
 * Final decision (pesäpallo)
 * Limited play (pesäpallo)
 * Full force play
 * Loaded bases


 * Sneak-off
 * Steal start
 * Slide (pesäpallo)


 * Point out (pesäpallo)
 * Tail out (pesäpallo)

Fielding

 * Pesäpallo positioning
 * Offensive player
 * Substitute player
 * Catch (pesäpallo)
 * Drop (pesäpallo)
 * Wild throw
 * Tag out


 * Catch a thief
 * Infield (pesäpallo)
 * Midfield (pesäpallo)
 * Outfield (pesäpallo)


 * Closing-in field
 * Backing-out field

Personnel

 * Captain (pesäpallo)
 * Manager (pesäpallo)
 * Team speaker
 * Team member
 * Umpire-in-chief
 * Plate umpire
 * 2nd base umpire
 * 3rd base umpire
 * Backline umpire
 * Official scorer

Related

 * Pesäpallo statistics
 * Variations of baseball