I don’t usually play much baseball or softball. However, last weekend a friend invited me to the park to play softball. I was extremely bored so I quickly agreed.
As a child, I was never very interested in the sport of baseball. I thought the game was too slow and boring. I was more interested in basketball or soccer, where the ball is moving fast and something is constantly happening. Another thing about baseball that I never liked is that it takes a lot of people to play a good game. If you play basketball in the playground, you can do well with 4 people or even 2. Soccer in the backyard can also be played well with 3 or more people. But getting 18 people together to play a game of baseball is too much. Well, last weekend I learned a couple of games that can be played with 12 people or less.
A great way to play with 12 people is to split into 4 teams of 3 people. 1 team is ready to win and the other teams share the field. You play 2 outs instead of 3, since your batting team is very small. Also, if all your players are on base, then you have to get one out to send out a batter.
Another game you can play if you have less than 12 people is to split into 2 teams. A team is ready to win. The batting team does not run the bases as there are not enough players to field. Instead, just use ghost runners. The field team will cover only the left side of the field. If the batter hits the ball in the infield and the fielders cover it without errors, it is an out. If the infielders make an error, it’s a single. If the batter hits a ground ball that reaches the shallow outfield, it is a single. If the outfielder makes an error fielding the ball, it is a double. Lastly, if the ball reaches the deep outfield, it’s a double. If the deep fielder makes an error, then it’s a triple.
I don’t really know what these versions of the game are called, but they were a lot of fun to play. On a warm spring day, it sure was fun to be outside and hit some baseballs, even though it’s not one of my favorite sports to play. Either way, it was great to be with friends and also to make new friends in the field. I look forward to playing a little more and maybe one day I’ll enjoy and appreciate the sport “All-American” a little more than I do now.