Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Recreation/Slow-Pitch Softball/2/en

1. Know the basic rules of slow-pitch softball.

Softball is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. It was invented in 1887 in Chicago as an indoor game. It was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground, softbund ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' baseball. The name softball was given to the game in 1926. There are two types of softball. In the most common type, slow-pitch softball, the ball, sometimes larger than the standard 12 inches, must arch on its path to the batter; there are 10 players in a team; and bunting and stealing are prohibited. In fast-pitch softball, the pitch is fast, there are 9 players on the field at one time, and bunting and stealing are permitted. Softball rules vary somewhat from those of baseball. Two major differences are that the ball must be pitched underhand—from 46 ft. for men or 43 ft. for women as compared with 60.5 ft. in baseball—and that seven innings instead of nine constitute a regulation game. Despite the name, the ball used in softball is not very soft. It is about 11 or 12 in. in circumference for slow-pitch, which is 3 in. larger than a baseball. The infield in softball is smaller than on a baseball diamond; each base is 60 ft. from the next, as opposed to baseball's 90 ft.