Baseball · WBSC / Rule 09
Batting, balls and strikes
WBSC · 2025–2026In short
The batting turn, legal stance and ways to reach base or be retired.
The count
A batter faces pitches from the batter’s box. A strike can result from a swing and miss, a pitch through the strike zone, or a qualifying foul. An ordinary uncaught foul does not add the final strike, but a foul bunt can. A completed base on balls entitles the batter to first base.
Finishing the turn
A caught third strike retires the batter. An uncaught third strike may allow a run to first when first base is unoccupied or the inning already has two outs. A hit batter is not automatically awarded first: swinging, the strike zone and an attempt to avoid the pitch matter.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Based on the supplied WBSC Official Rules of Baseball 2025–2026, including its event-specific appendices. References use physical PDF pages. Explanations are condensed; the supplied edition and its stated competition conditions determine scope.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗