Name: Sophia R.

Estoquia

Subject: MAPEH-8

Quarter: III

Date: March 13, 2023

Name of teacher: Ms. Jenyruth Kathreen M. Pinero

Narrative Report;

Dis/similar Sports? Baseball vs. Softball

Baseball is traditionally considered the national pastime of
the United States. It was once thought to have been invented in 1839 by Abner
Doubleday in Cooperstown, N.Y., but it is more likely that baseball developed
from an 18th-century English game called rounders that was modified by
Alexander Cartwright. The first official game of baseball took place in 1846 in
Hoboken New Jersey but the very first professional baseball team that was
established was in Cincinnati, they were called the Red Stockings. However,
Softball began at 1887 almost after 48 years after baseball was found. Although
many people assume that softball was derived from baseball, the sport’s first game
was actually came about because of a football game. It began when several alumni
sat in the Chicago, Illinois Farragut Boat Club, anxiously awaiting the outcome of
the Yale versus Harvard football game. When Yale was announced as winner, a
Yale alumnus playfully threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter. The Harvard
fan swung at the balled-up glove with a stick, and the rest of the group looked on
with interest. George Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, jokingly
called out, “Play ball!” and the first softball game commenced with the football
fans using the boxing glove as a ball and a broom handle in place of a bat.

For every sport we all know that each sport

use different equipment and gear. Baseball is no different here are the following
equipment and gear they use in their games.

 Batting Helmet- Helmet is worn by a batter to protect his/her head and the
ear facing the pitcher from the ball. While some helmets have ear protectors
only on one side as only the ear facing the pitcher should be protected,
helmets with ear protectors on both sides are more common as some batters
are left handed and some right handed.

 Baseball cap- All players wear a hat to shade their eyes from the sun.
Baseball hat design has become so popular with the general public that they
are also used to make a style statement.
  Catcher's helmet- Catchers wear a helmet with face mask similar to a
hockey goalkeeper mask to protect both their head and face. Sometimes they
might wear a separate helmet and a facemask.

 Uniform All players, coaches and managers wear shirts and pants. Each
team has a uniform dress of a specific colour and design. Sliding shorts
Players sometimes wear padded support shorts to protect the player’s thighs
when he/she slides into the bases. Some sliding shorts contain a pocket for a
cup that serves as a jockstrap.

 Baseball Cleats- These are baseball specific shoes made of rubber or metal
that players wear for better traction. Bat Baseball bat is a round, solid
wooden or hollow aluminium bat.

 Wooden bats- are traditionally made from ash wood, though sometimes
maple and bamboo is also used. Baseball Cleats Ball The ball used in
baseball is called a baseball. Layers of yarn or string is rolled on a cork
sphere and a leather coat is stitched over it to make a baseball.

 Gloves- Players wear leather gloves to protect their palms. A webbed

"pocket" between the thumb and first finger helps the fielder to catch the ball
easily.

 Catcher's mitt- Catchers wear leather mitts with connected finger pockets
that are much wider and better padded than a normal fielder's glove.

 First baseman's mitt- First basemen wear leather mitts that are longer and
wider than a standard fielder's glove. They are similar to catcher’s mitt as the
four fingers are connected; additionally, it is rounded and has more padding
than a standard fielder's glove.

 Batting gloves -Batsmen wear gloves on one or both hands for additional
grip and to avoid shock when they strike the ball.

Softball also use multiple equipment and gear namely;

Bat

The batsmen use bat to hit the ball and score runs for team. The bat is made up of
wood, aluminium or from metals. The shape of the bat is like a cylinder and its
diameter is 6 inches. The length of the bat varies but it cannot be greater than 86
cm.

The diameter of the barrel is 2¼ inches. Normally, players prefer smaller barrel bat
because they can swing the bat easily. Bats having smaller barrel also reduces
weight. The weight of the bat is 1.2 kilograms.

Ball

As the name of the sport is softball, a ball is the centre of the game. But despite its
name, the ball which is used is not soft. Softball is derived from the famous
American sport baseball which is mainly played by men. But softball is meant for
women. As this sport is mainly dominated by women, the name of the game is
softball.

Gloves

In American Softball Association, the size of the gloves cannot exceed 36

centimetres. In softball matches, all defensive players wear fielding gloves. But
there are normally different size of gloves available for players at different
positions on the field.

Uniform

To increase bond among a players in a team, uniforms are provided. Each team
wears different uniforms. Uniforms include helmets, head bands, visors, caps,
shoes, shocks, shirt and pant, tight sliding undershorts etc.

For female players, uniforms like headbands and caps are optional. These are
mandatory for male players but those who wear a helmet are not required to wear
headbands or caps.

Important Facts about Softball

We have listed here some important facts to note about softball −

 Amateur Softball Association of America has the authority to check the size
of bats of the players. They also have the power to reject if they find it
illegal. If they find any performance enhancers in the bat then it is an illegal
bat. These bats can give an unfair advantage to the batting team.
 This sport is mainly of two types one is fast pitch and another one is slow
pitch. In fast pitch game, the circumference of the ball is 12 inches and the
mass of the ball is in between 178 gram and 194 gram. The circumference of
the ball may increase or decrease by 0.125 inches.
In slow pitch game, the circumference of the ball is 11 inches and mass of
the ball varies in between 166.5 gram to 173.6 gram. From 2004 onwards,
high visibility yellow optic cover is being used for balls. For NAIA and
NCAA softballs, yellow is the official colour.
 Yellow balls are becoming popular in this sport. The matches in softball are
mainly played in yellow balls. White balls are also used in this sport but it is
not as famous as yellow balls. White balls are mainly used in slow pitches
rather than fast pitches.
 Softball is invented in Chicago so one of its variants is called Chicago ball.
It is played with the ball whose circumference is 16 inches. The fielders
normally do not wear gloves. Chicago ball is also known as mush ball,
cabbage ball, and blooper ball.
 Between thumb and forefinger of the gloves, there is webbing which is
known as pocket. The colouring on the gloves should be in such a way that
no part is same as that of the ball.
 The pitchers are also not allowed to have any white colour on their gloves
including seams as it may create problem for the batsmen in seeing the ball
clearly.
 Among all the equipment, helmets and sliding shorts are very important for
the players. Helmets provide security to the head and sliding shorts to the
upper thigh. The sliding shorts are basically shin guards that extend usually
from the ankle to the knee of the player and it covers the leg. It protects
 ankle, knee, shin, calf and thigh from getting hurt or bruised while sliding.
In fact, wearing sliding shorts helps the players to slide on the ground easily.
 On the back of the uniform player’s names are optional but Arabic numerals
must be visible.

Baseball like any other sport have multiple rules and here
are some of their rules and regulations.

 Each team has 9 players on the field at any one time. Once a batting order is
established, it must be followed for the duration of the game. If players are
substituted, they will take the position in the batting order of the player that
they replaced. In many leagues, every player bats, regardless of whether
they are playing in the field at the time or not.
 Each team continues to bat until three outs are recorded, at which time the
team returns to the field. An out is recorded either by via a strike out (see
below); a fly out, in which the batted ball is caught by an opponent before it
touches the ground, whether in fair or foul territory; or by a ground out, in
which the batted ball touches the ground before being caught, but is thrown
to a base where an out is recorded either through a force play, or, if no force
is in effect, by tagging the runner before he or she touches the base with his
foot or hand.
 Each batter gets to bat until he puts the ball in play, strikes out (3 strikes) or
walks (is issued a "bases on balls"). A strike is a ball that is: "taken" (i.e. no
swing) for a strike (i.e. a ball in the strike zone called a strike by the home
plate umpire), swung on and missed; swung at and hit into foul territory and
not caught before it touches the ground. A ball is called when the pitched
ball is not thrown over the plate in the strike "zone" and the player does not
swing. If a player receives 3 strikes, it will be recorded as an out. If a ball is
hit into foul territory and caught, the batter is out. Once the batter has two
strikes, any foul ball, including foul tip not caught by the catcher, does not
count as the third strike. If a player receives four balls before he gets three
strikes, he records a walk and becomes a base runner. Any players in a force
position will move forward one base as well.
 A run is scored when a player touch all four bases before the 3rd out is
called. The team with the most runs at the completion of play wins the
game.

There are several special rules and procedures for T-Ball that will vary slightly by
association and league. Some of these variations are: All players bat, or a pre-
determined number, often more than 9.

 All players take the field, or a pre-determined number, usually more than 9.
Runners play 'tight' bases, meaning they must remain on base until the ball
is batted.
 There is no stealing of bases.
 There is no infield fly rule.
 There are no strikes and balls. Generally a coach or umpire will assist after
so a certain number of swings
  . There is usually a time limit rather than an inning limit. A T-Ball game
played to 9 innings could take 3 to 5 hours!

Like baseball and any other known sport softball also have
multiple rules and regulations.

 Each team consists of 9 players and teams can be of mixed gender A game
lasts for 7 innings and is split into two sections; the top and bottom of the
innings.
 Each team bats once in each innings before the sides switch.
 The fielding team has a pitcher, catcher, a player on first base, second base,
third base, three deep fielders and short stop.
 A batter must successfully strike the ball and run around as many bases as
possible.
 Once they get all the way around and back to home plate without being
given out a run is scored.
 The fielding team can prevent the batsmen by making them miss the ball,
catching the ball, tagging one of the bases before they reach it or tagging the
batsmen whilst they are running with the ball in hand.
 Down the first and third base line is a foul area. Once the ball crosses this
line before it bounces the ball is deemed ‘dead’ and play restarts with a new
pitch.
 A home run can be scored by hitting the ball over the outfield and into a
dead ball area. The batsmen can then stroll around the bases to score along
with any additional batsmen on base.

As we all know baseball and softball have multiple similarities but

both are uniquely different. One difference between baseball and softball is the size
of the field. On the Olympic stage, the distance between each base is 90 feet in
baseball and just 60 feet in softball and while the outfield fence on most baseball
fields is about 400 feet, the furthest point in softball averages approximately 220
feet away from home plate.

Another difference softball is significantly larger than a regulation baseball. A

softball measures between 11.88 and 12.13 inches in circumference and weighs
between 6.25 and 7.00 ounces; a baseball measures between 9.00 and 9.25 inches
in circumference and weighs between 5.00 and 5.25 ounces.

Another is By rule, baseball bats can be up to 42 inches long while softball bats
max out at 34 inches. Despite the difference in maximum length, the most
commonly used bat length in both disciplines ranges between 32 and 34 inches.
The barrel of a baseball bat can have a diameter up to 2.61 inches, while all
softball bats have 2.25 inch barrels.

The most noticeable, can’t-miss difference between softball and baseball can be
seen when the pitcher fires the ball towards the batter. Put simply, baseball pitchers
throw overhand, while softballers pitch underhand.
In softball, pitchers throw from a distance of just 43 feet and reach more than
60mph on the radar gun. In baseball, it’s 60 feet 6 inches from pitcher to batter,
with the ball often travelling faster than 90mph. So although pitchers achieve
greater speeds in baseball, the shorter distance in softball means that the velocity of
the ball in both sports is quite comparable.Another difference is that baseball
players pitch from an elevated, compact mound, whereas softball players pitch
from a designated pitching circle.

Another difference is the time and regulation. Baseball games are nine innings, but
can go into extra innings if a game is tied. Softball games are played to seven
innings, though they can end early if one team has a really large lead on the other,
such as a 15-run lead after three innings or a seven-run lead after five innings.