Comparison of baseball and cricket

Baseball has a number of rules, terminology and strategies which are very similar to cricket. Although the origins of baseball remain uncertain, it may be derived from cricket, or the two may share similar predecessor games.

Play

Baseball games have far lower scores than cricket matches; therefore moments of poor pitching (bowling) and individual defensive mistakes are more costly. A player who is a good batter but who is not a competent fielder will not play regularly, or only in the designated hitter position in leagues that use it. Perhaps the most striking fielding difference between baseball and cricket is in throwing. Baseball requires hard throws with shallow arcs, often made while in midair or off-balance. The large gloves used by outfielders also permit spectacular athletic catches. Also, many defensive plays in baseball (most commonly, the double play) require cooperation among several fielders in a rapid sequence of actions.

Cricket batsmen display far more variety in their approach than baseball batters, using a wider variety of batting strokes to direct the ball in many directions into a field which provides much more open space.

Cricket bowlers, since they are not restricted to a small strike zone as their target, also use a wide variety of approaches which are not available to baseball pitchers (many involving unpredictable movement caused by contact with the ground on the pitch before the ball reaches the batsman). Baseball pitchers, by contrast, must use changes in ball speed and movement caused only by air friction and spin to deceive batters, as most pitches which come near touching the ground are ineffectively allowed to pass as balls.

Equipment

Baseball players use thin, round bats and wear gloves to field, while cricketers use wide, flat bats and field barehanded.

Another difference between the two sports involves the condition of the ball as a match progresses. In cricket, if a ball is hit into the stands, the spectators must return it to the field. Also, a ball that is scuffed or scratched will continue in use; a ball must be used for a minimum number of overs (currently 80 in Test cricket) before it can be replaced. If a ball is damaged, lost, or illegally modified, it is replaced by a used ball of similar condition to the old one. Finally, cricketers are allowed to use natural substances (e.g. saliva and sweat) to modify the ball, and may polish it on their uniforms, although they cannot deliberately scratch the ball. In major league baseball, a ball that is hit into the stands is not returned to play unless caught by a fielder before it touches the ground; spectators are free to keep any balls that come into their possession. Baseball rules prohibit the deliberate scratching or scuffing of a ball, or the application of any foreign substance that could conceivably affect the flight or visibility of a ball. Balls that become scuffed or scratched due to normal game play are immediately removed from play and never reused. The current rules regarding the condition of baseballs did not come into effect until 1920, and were not consistently enforced for several decades afterwards; before then, they were far closer to those still present in cricket. Because of financial or practical limits on the supply of fresh balls, enforcement of these rules is much more limited in minor league and amateur baseball games, where balls become worn and scuffed in the course of play; even so, deliberate scratching or polishing of the ball (or use of the spitball) is universally forbidden.

Similarity in terminology

Terms shared between the two sports:

• Break
• Drive
• Fielder
• Infield
• Innings
• Lineup
• Out
• Outfield
• Pinch hitter
• Runs

Comparisons

Analogous concepts and similar terms

Term	Cricket	Baseball
Each team's turn	An innings (singular)	A half-inning (singular) or innings (plural)
Person who delivers the ball and throwing	Bowler — Bowling	Pitcher — Pitching
Person who faces the ball	Batsman	Batter
Distance between above two players	just under 18 m	just over 18 m
person behind the player batting	Wicket-keeper	catcher
scoring over the fence	six runs (sixer)	home run
hits inside the field	one or more runs, though above four are extremely rare	runners advancing, with possibility of a runner reaching home for a run
catching the ball in flight	a catch	fly out
hitting the ball	shot or stroke	a hit, a drive
a player batting	(batting) innings	plate appearance
a dismissal type	Run out	Ground out
fielding miscues	overthrows	errors
curving in the air type delivery (away from batsman)	outdipper	curveball/slider/cut fastball (if batter and pitcher use same hand)
curving in the air type delivery (towards batsman)	indipper	screwball (if batter and pitcher use same hand)
hitting the ball in a specific area	placement	place hitting
central playing arena	pitch	diamond
pitched out of the playing zone	a wide	a ball

Different meanings

Different strategies/meanings

term	Cricket	Baseball
inning(s)	always ends in 's', is when a team bats	singular, a set of two batting innings
Pitch (cricket)	the playing arena the area on the pitch in which the bowler intends to bounce the ball	the act of throwing the ball
Lineup	flexible	rigid
Break	A delivery that changes direction after pitching due to imparted spin.	A pitched ball that curves in the air
Drive	A powerful shot hit with the face of the bat	A powerful hit, usually hit deep into the outfield
Pinch hitter	A batman promoted up the batting order to score runs quickly in a one-day game (cricket deliberately borrowed the baseball term).	A substitute for a batter.
a 'ball'	a legitimate delivery	an illegitimate delivery
a delivery that the batsman/batter can't reach	a 'wide' delivery	a 'ball'
substitution	injured players can be replaced for fielding purposes only	players are replaced in lineup