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 kid, 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 football, where the ball is moving quickly 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. Backyard soccer can also be played well with 3 or more people. But getting 18 people together to play a baseball game 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 three since your batting team is so 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 with no errors, it is an out. If the infielders make a mistake, it’s a single. If the batter hits a ground ball into the shallow outfield, it is a single. If the outfielder makes a mistake fielding the ball, it’s a double. Lastly, if the ball goes into the deep outfield, it’s a double. If the deep fielder makes a mistake, then it’s a triple.
I don’t really know what these versions of the game are called, but they were so much 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 make new friends on the pitch. I hope to play a little more and maybe one day I’ll enjoy and appreciate the All-American game a little more than I do now.