Baseball Field Guide, Fourth Edition: An In-Depth Illustrated Guide to the Complete Rules of Baseball

Admit it: Even if you’re a die-hard fan of our national pastime, sometimes an umpire’s call can be baffling. And for newer fans, Major League Baseball’s nuanced rules--developed and revised over many decades--can be downright perplexing.

Now updated throughout with the latest changes, including specifications about the universal designated hitter and limits on defensive shifts, the Baseball Field Guide lays out every rule in plain English. You’ll learn to answer all these questions and more:

• Do you know the twenty-two ways a pitcher can be charged with a balk?
• Can you list all seven ways a batter can safely get to first base?
• Obstruction or interference--who’s at fault when things get rough?
• What are the rules that apply before and after a game?
• What happens when spectators are the ones who misbehave?
• How well do you understand the infamous Infield Fly Rule (and why does it exist)?

This is the clearest explanation anywhere of the rules of baseball. Designed for quick and intuitive searches, this entertaining reference will help you understand every aspect of the game and add to your enjoyment of the sport.

Dan Formosa, PhD, spent his grammar school years in Hoboken, NJ, the site of baseball’s first recorded game. A consultant to a wide range of companies and organizations, he has received numerous design awards. He also helped create the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Dan travels the world frequently in his work. He spends the rest of his time in Piermont, NY, and in New York City--virtually within throwing distance of Hoboken’s old Elysian Fields. He grew up playing stoopball and is a diehard Yankees fan.

Paul Hamburger, originally from New York City, is a recent transplant to sunny Los Angeles, where he works as a creative director. Growing up in the streets of Brooklyn, Paul was an accomplished player of stoopball. As a Mets fan, he is bitter and resentful toward the relative success of other local baseball organizations. He lives in the past, nostalgic for the glory days of the mid-eighties.