Softball, also known as softball, is a sport predominantly played by women and can be seen as a more accessible and simplified version of baseball. Today you’ll learn all about Softball, so stay tuned!
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All about Softball: history of the sport
Softball was invented in 1887 by George Hancock, a journalist who was watching an American soccer game on Thanksgiving Day;
After the match, George watched a spectator use a broomstick to hit a boxing glove, inspiring him to organize an impromptu match that lasted the rest of the day.
George wrote a manual for playing softball indoors, in order to make it possible to practice baseball, an extremely popular sport in the United States, even during the harsh winter;
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However, softball also continued to be played the following summer. In 1889, the first official softball rules were established.
Before settling on the name softball, the sport had several names: Mushball, Kittenball, Diamondball and Pumpkinball.
As softball’s popularity grew, it expanded to open spaces, especially parks, due to the lack of indoor courts.
Soon after, the first outdoor softball tournaments began to be organized. Softball was only included in the Olympics in 1996.
Baseball administrators have proposed that softball be included in the Olympic Games as the female version of the sport;
The proposal was accepted, and since then softball has been played at the Olympics and Pan American Games exclusively by women.
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All about Softball: rules and fundamentals
Although the principles of softball are similar to those of baseball, the game has some distinctions.
In softball, each team has nine players, each playing specific roles that vary throughout the game:
- Batter/Hitter
- Receiver, positioned behind the hitter to catch the unhit balls
- 1st baseman
- 2nd baseman
- Third baseman
- Interbase player
- Left-sided defender
- Central defender
- Right-sided defender
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Each match consists of seveninnings and, after each round, the teams alternate between attacking and defending positions. During the attacking innings, the batting team faces the pitching of the opposing team.
The pitcher stands in the center of the infield on a mound, while the catcher stands behind home plate with the batter.
In addition, there is a player on each of the three remaining bases, while the others occupy strategic positions on the pitch.
When the batter tries to hit the ball and misses, a strike is scored. If she chooses not to hit, the umpire can signal either a strike or a ball. However, if the batter connects the pitch, she must run to the bases.
If the batter accumulates three strikes, she is eliminated, giving up her turn to another player. However, if she gets four balls, she achieves a walk and advances to first base, increasing her chances of scoring.
The defending team seeks to eliminate the batter’s play by catching the ball and touching it or passing it to home plate before it arrives;
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If it doesn’t, the batter is safe to reach any base. If they complete the circuit of the bases, a run is recorded.
Thus, each team attacks until three of their players are eliminated and, at the end of the match, the team with the most runs. wins.
All about Softball: differences to baseball
The main distinctions between softball and baseball include differences in the ball, the bat, the pitch, the field and the number of innings (or games) per game.
- The softball, with a diameter of 30.5 cm, is larger than the baseball, which varies between 23 and 23.5 cm in diameter.
- In addition, the softball, weighing between 178 and 190 grams, is heavier than the baseball, which is between 141 and 148 grams.
- The bat used in softball is made of aluminum, while in baseball it is made of wood;
- In softball, the pitch is thrown from the bottom up, while in baseball it is thrown from the top down or sideways.
- The playing field in softball is smaller than in baseball.
- As for the number of innings (or games), in softball there are 7 innings, while in baseball there are 9.
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All about Softball in Brazil
In Brazil, the sport is known as “softball”, or popularly called the “sport of the Japanese”;
This is due to the influence of Japanese immigration in the 20th century, which resulted in the sport being practiced and recognized by many Japanese descendants living in the country;
However, softball spread to Brazil through North American immigrant workers, along with baseball, from the early 1900s.
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