Start with the batting team
Watch three things first: who is batting, how many outs there are, and which bases have runners. Leave the detailed statistics for later.
Visitors bat in the top half; hosts bat in the bottom. Three outs switch the teams’ roles. Batters follow the lineup. Most runs wins. Runners advance first–second–third–home; scoring has third-out exceptions.
This guide uses MLB’s 2026 Official Baseball Rules. Check the actual competition’s rules before applying it to children’s baseball.
| Display | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Team totals | R means runs; H means hits; E means errors. Focus first on R. |
| Inning and top/bottom | Locate the current batting turn before interpreting the rest of the display. |
| Outs | Keep checking this after each play. |
| Count | Balls appear before strikes: a hypothetical 2–1 count means two balls and one strike. |
| Base diagram | Highlighted bases usually show where runners are. Broadcast designs vary. |
Follow one batter at a time
Four balls award first base: a walk, abbreviated BB. See MLB’s walk definition.
Three strikes usually retire the batter; an uncaught third strike can create an exception. K denotes a strikeout. See strikeouts.
An ordinary uncaught foul adds a strike below two strikes; a two-strike foul bunt is an out. A caught fly retires the batter.
For a close running play, use the existing force plays and tagging-up guide.
Understand the pause
Umpires officiate. “Time” stops play; “Play” restarts it. Weather, injury and substitutions can interrupt action. A foul ball is not misconduct; ejections, rather than cards, remove offenders.
Pitch-timer violations can award an automatic ball against the pitcher or strike against the batter. See MLB’s pitch-timer explanation.
At equipped MLB venues in 2026, batters, pitchers or catchers can tap headgear to request ABS ball-strike review. See MLB’s ABS guide.
Separate replay reviews examine eligible disputed plays following manager challenges or crew-chief initiation. See MLB’s replay overview.
For more detail, follow live and dead balls, pitch-clock rules or replay and challenges.
Know when the game is over
Normally nine innings: a leading home team skips its ninth batting half. Ties bring extra innings, not shoot-outs. A home lead in the ninth or later ends play, subject to scoring requirements. Weather can produce shortened or suspended games.
Regular-season extra half-innings start with a runner on second; postseason halves do not. See MLB’s automatic-runner explanation and our detailed guide.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Inning | Two batting halves. |
| Count | Current balls and strikes. |
| Walk-off | Home team’s game-ending score. |
| Dead ball | Play temporarily stopped. |
Rules and further reading
- 2026 Official Baseball Rules: governing edition.
- MLB’s 2026 ABS explanation, including venue exceptions.
- MLB pitch-timer procedures.
- MLB replay-review overview.
- MLB automatic-runner scope.
- MLB walk glossary.
- MLB strikeout glossary.
Rule editions and sources
- Office of the Commissioner of Baseball · 2026 Official Baseball Rules · MLB regular-season games; postseason differences identified. Not a youth or amateur competition guide. — Office of the Commissioner of Baseball — 2026 Official Baseball Rules, Rules 5.06(b)(1), 5.06(b)(4)(I), 5.08, 5.09(b)–(d), Definitions of Terms and Appendix 6