Baseball rules in plain language – this is how the game progresses

Pesäpallo is a Finnish team game that is somewhat similar to baseball, but the rules and field are different. This article will go over the basics of the game of pesäpallo in a simple way – for both new enthusiasts and parents learning to follow the sport. Pesäpallo is a multi-dimensional sport, and there are plenty of rules to learn - that is also one of the subtleties of the sport. It is a very strategic sport at the top level of competitive sport. The complete rules of the game of pesäpallo can be found on the website of the Finnish Baseball Association. The link to it can be found at the end of this article.

What is the goal of the game?

In baseball, two teams alternate between the infield (batting innings) and the outfield (outfield innings) .
The goal is to make runs by progressing from one nest to another on the field and finally to the home nest.

Teams and players

• The team has 9 regular players who play both indoor and outdoor games.
• In addition, a team can have a maximum of 3 joker players , who only participate in indoor play.
• Jokers can be played in any order at the discretion of the game director.
• Jokerit can be identified by their uniform – they have a different colored jersey than the others.
• The team is led by two game directors , whose task is to direct the outside and inside game. The first game director has a colorful fan (disk), which he uses to show agreed tactical signals to the players. 

 Game stages in brief

1. The pitcher (setter) throws the ball vertically into the air in the home plate.
2. The batter tries to hit the ball and starts running towards first base.
3. The forwarder tries to advance from one nest to another by using strikes.
4. The defending team tries to burn the forward by throwing the ball to the base before the runner can get there. This causes a fire and forces the player to return to home base.
   
5. A run occurs when a forwarder circles all the nests and returns to the home nest.
6. Wound : Forwards are wounded if an outfielder catches the ball before it has time to fall to the ground. Wounded forwards cannot continue their advance between the nests, but return to their home nest. No runs or runs are scored from this situation.
7. Illegal strike : The first bounce of a strike must land inside the boundaries of the field area. There are front, side and back illegal strikes in the field. With an illegal strike, the batter is not allowed to advance from one base to another. If the batter's last (third) strike attempt is illegal, a run is called.

Pairs of turns and periods

The match consists of two periods , each with two innings played.

• A pair of turns means that both teams have one turn on and one turn off.
• The inning ends when three forwards have been burned.
• If the match is tied after two periods, a super inning and, if necessary, a home run contest will be played. In some matches, the super inning may be skipped and the match will go directly to a home run contest.

 How do you do a run?

• The batter hits the ball, progresses from the nests, and finally returns to the home nest.
• Each player who makes it home scores one run for the team.
• A run of honor is created when the forward player manages to run through all the nest spaces on his own stroke until he reaches the third nest.

 When will the fire come?

• The forward is outside the nest and the defender gets the ball to the nest before him.
• A batsman may not make a legal shot within three attempts.
• The forward starts too early or breaks other rules.

 Summary

You can find the complete rules of baseball on the website of the Finnish Baseball Association: https://www.pesis.fi/kilpaul/saannot-maaraykset

Want to try baseball? Check out the equipment and tips for getting started in the Suomipesis online store .