Editing Baseball field (section)

==Specifications==
:''Unless otherwise noted, the specifications discussed in this section refer to those described within the [[Baseball rules|Baseball Rules]], under which Major League Baseball is played.''<ref name="Rule1">{{cite web |title=Official Rules: 1.00 Objectives of the Game |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/objectives_1.jsp |access-date=26 October 2014 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]]}}</ref>
[[File:Baseball diamond.svg|thumb|Diagram of a baseball field]]
The starting point for much of the action on the field is [[home plate]] (officially "home base"), a five-sided slab of white rubber. One side is {{convert|17|in|cm}} long, the two adjacent sides are {{convert|8.5|in|cm}}. The remaining two sides are approximately {{convert|11|in|cm|abbr=out|sigfig=1}} and set at a right angle. The plate is set into the ground so that its surface is level with the field. The corner of home plate where the two 11-inch sides meet at a right angle is at one corner of a {{convert|90|ft|m|2|adj=on}} square. The dimensional specifications are technically inconsistent because the angle constraints require that the front be [[Square root of 2|{{radical|2}}]] times the length of the back, which is not equal to a 17:12 ratio, but a physically built home plate will have side lengths accurate to a few hundredths of an inch.<ref name="geospecs"/> The other three corners of the square, in counterclockwise order from home plate, are called [[first base|first]], [[second base|second]], and [[third base]]. These bases are marked by canvas or rubber cushions, {{convert|18|in|cm}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/02/24/mlb-new-rules-2023-bigger-bases-explaine|title=MLB new rules 2023}}</ref> square and {{convert|3|-|5|in|cm}} thick. Adjacent to each of the two parallel 8.5-inch sides is a batter's box.

All the bases, including home plate, lie entirely within fair territory. Thus, any batted ball that touches those bases must necessarily be ruled a fair ball. While the first and third base bags are placed so that they lie inside the 90-foot square formed by the bases, the second base bag is placed so that its center (unlike first, third and home) coincides exactly with the "point" of the ninety-foot square. Thus, although the "points" of the bases are 90 feet apart, the physical distance between each successive pair of base markers is closer to {{convert|88|ft|m|1}}.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=DIAGRAM NO 2|page=5|title=Official Rules of Major League Baseball, 2013 Edition|year=2013|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=978-1-60078-797-3|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2013/official_baseball_rules.pdf}}</ref>

Near the center of the square is an artificial hill known as the pitcher's mound, atop which is a white rubber slab known as the pitcher's plate, colloquially the "rubber". The specifications for the pitcher's mound are described [[#Pitcher's mound|below]].

The lines from home plate to first and third bases extend to the nearest fence, stand or other obstruction and are called the foul lines. The portion of the playing field between (and including) the foul lines is fair territory; the rest is "foul territory". The area within the square formed by the bases is officially called the infield, though colloquially this term also includes fair territory in the vicinity of the square; fair territory outside the infield is known as the outfield. Most baseball fields are enclosed with a fence that marks the outer edge of the outfield. The fence is usually set at a distance ranging from {{convert|300|to|420|ft|m|-1}} from home plate. Most professional and college baseball fields have a right and left foul pole which are about {{convert|440|to|500|ft}} apart.<ref>http://web.mit.edu/~xsdg/Public/papers/himcm-2003.pdf "The width is the distance between foul poles... the Twins’ field width (473.9 ft) and the Braves’ field width (470.2 ft) is not significant. However, the difference between the Rockies’ and Yankees’ field widths (492.9 ft and 446.9 ft, respectively) is very significant."</ref> These poles are at the intersection of the foul lines and the respective ends of the outfield fence and, unless otherwise specified within the [[ground rules]], lie in fair territory. Thus, a batted ball that passes over the outfield wall in flight and touches the foul pole is a fair ball and the batter is awarded a home run.