10 Unique Things to Baseball

I know, I know…you are reading this headline saying, “Why does Hannah think baseball is so special?! It’s such a slow game with nothing exciting!” Well, if you read my last blog post, you’ll see that I believe those who say that are simply uneducated on the sport and don’t know what to watch for. This post and my next few posts will (hopefully) help you understand a little bit more about why baseball is the best sport out there!

Let’s jump right in and talk about 10 simple, yet interestingly unique things to Major League Baseball.

#1 – The managers of each team where the same uniform as the players. If you notice, in every other team sport, the coach typically either wears a suit, or clothes fitting for athletic activity. However, in baseball, the managers wear jerseys and numbers just like the players.

#2 – There is no clock in baseball. For some of you, this is why you don’t like baseball, because it “drags on too long.” However, this fact makes the game truly interesting. There are countless times that I have seen games take a complete turn in the matter of one play. Strategy and specific plays can be fleshed out because there is no time limit.

#3 – Just as there is no clock in baseball, the game could potentially play to infiniti. Baseball games cannot end in a tie, therefore, they must play until someone wins. With no clock, there’s no telling how long some games may go. In fact, the longest baseball game ever played was 8 hours, 6 minutes and had to be played over the span of 2 days, almost tripling the typical game length.

#4 – Players can eat during the game. Have you ever noticed some players chewing while up to bat, or spitting things out while they are waiting to field the ball? Well, some players eat seeds while they are playing, or chew tobacco, or even gum. Similarly, players can even eat in the dugout or go into the locker room to eat while the game is happening.

#5 – The field of play is not regulated. Every Major League Baseball field is a different size and shape. Some outfields measure past 400 feet from home plate, and others are less than that. To me, this makes visiting stadiums interesting to see what each and every field is like. This also can affect individual player’s statistics because what would have been a home run at one stadium, doesn’t go past the fence at another. I love this graphic to see all of the MLB field sizes compared:

#6 – Similarly, this is not specific to baseball, but some stadiums are outdoor, some are indoor, and some are a mix of both. Personally, I strongly dislike only indoor stadiums. I think baseball should be played outside. It is a summer sport and should be enjoyed in the sun. But I do understand the climates that are really hot and humid so I appreciate when a stadium is built nicely that can be indoor and outdoor.

#7 – Out of bounds baseballs can still be played. In other professional sports, when a ball goes out of bounds, the time either stops or the player/team gets a “do over.” In baseball, both the offense and defense can play the ball in multiple different ways.

#8 – Each and every play of each game can be recorded exactly how it takes place. Someone who hasn’t seen the game can look at the scorecard and know exactly what happened in the game. No other sport can you track exactly what happened in every play and with every pitch. Personally, I keep score at every game that I attend and have several scorebooks filled to the brim of great baseball memories. Whenever I look through them again, I can look at the games and know verbatim what happened.

#9 – Baseball has the longest season of any sport. In some cities, especially here in Chicago, it can snow on Opening Day and the last day of the season.

#10 – Baseball has its own song! We all know and love the American classic Take Me Out to the Ballgame. No other sport has its own song, nor do all of the fans stand up in middle of the game to sing a song together all at the same time. What a fun way to celebrate the uniqueness of baseball and show how awesome it is!

Next time you go to a baseball game, I hope you notice some of these things. Thanks for reading and hope that starting today and in the coming weeks as you read more, you will come to love and appreciate baseball just as much as I do! 🥰

With Love (for baseball ⚾️),
Hannah