The
outfield is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
ing
termTerminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that are used in specific contexts. Not to be confused with "terms" in colloquial usages, the shortened form of technical terms which are defined within a discipline or speciality field...
used in
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
and
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the
infieldBaseball teams take turns, one "out" in the field and one "in" at bat. The nine fielding positions are commonly grouped as three outfielders, four infielders, and "the battery"...
. The term is also used in association football (soccer) as an adjective describing any
positionPosition in team sports refers to the joint arrangement of a team on its field of play during a game and to the standardized place of any individual player in that arrangement. Much instruction, strategy, and reporting is organized by a set of individual player positions that is standard for the...
other than that of
goalkeeperIn many team sports, a goalkeeper is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal...
.
In both baseball and cricket, fielders in the outfield have more ground to cover, but also more time before the
ballA ball is a round object with various uses. It is usually spherical but can be ovoid. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
reaches them.
The
outfield is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
ing
termTerminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that are used in specific contexts. Not to be confused with "terms" in colloquial usages, the shortened form of technical terms which are defined within a discipline or speciality field...
used in
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
and
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the
infieldBaseball teams take turns, one "out" in the field and one "in" at bat. The nine fielding positions are commonly grouped as three outfielders, four infielders, and "the battery"...
. The term is also used in association football (soccer) as an adjective describing any
positionPosition in team sports refers to the joint arrangement of a team on its field of play during a game and to the standardized place of any individual player in that arrangement. Much instruction, strategy, and reporting is organized by a set of individual player positions that is standard for the...
other than that of
goalkeeperIn many team sports, a goalkeeper is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal...
.
In cricket and baseball
In both baseball and cricket, fielders in the outfield have more ground to cover, but also more time before the
ballA ball is a round object with various uses. It is usually spherical but can be ovoid. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
reaches them. Catches are most likely to arise from shots that have been 'skied' (in cricket) or 'popped up' (in baseball). If a catch is not possible (for example, the ball has bounced, or is rolling or skidding across the
turfA lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even height....
) the fielder will attempt to head off, pick up and throw in the ball as quickly as possible to reduce the distance the runners can run and hopefully to effect a
run outRun out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
(cricket) or
tag outIn baseball, a tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baserunner is out because he is touched by the fielder's hand or glove holding a live ball while the runner is in jeopardy...
(baseball).
In cricket, where the
ballA cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket.-Manufacture:Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam...
is far more likely to stay low against the ground than in baseball, the condition of the turf has a major effect on the speed at which the ball travels through the outfield. On a
slow outfield the ball decelerates significantly, making
fieldingFielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out. A fielder or fieldsman...
easier and
battingIn the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
harder — in particular
boundariesBoundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket;* the edge or boundary of the playing field, and* a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...
are far harder to hit. This usually occurs if the playing surface is uneven or if it is damp from rain or dew. However, on a
fast outfield the ball does not decelerate significantly even when
rollingRolling is a combination of rotation and translation of that object with respect to a surface , such that the two are in contact with each other without sliding. This is achieved by a rotational speed at the cylinder or circle of contact which is equal to the translational speed...
along the turf, often racing past the fielders and over the boundary rope. In these circumstances, batsmen find it easier to score
runIn the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
s quickly. Commentators often refer to the ball
acceleratingIn physics, and more specifically kinematics, acceleration is the change in velocity over time. Because velocity is a vector, it can change in two ways: a change in magnitude and/or a change in direction. In one dimension, i.e. a line, acceleration is the rate at which something speeds up or slows...
to the boundary on fast outfields, but this only physically occurs on grounds with a slope and on which the ball is moving downhill.
In football (soccer)
The term is used in soccer when, for instance, player availability becomes an issue (say, due a number of players being unable to play through injury and or prior substitution) given that at a high level of play, goalkeepers lack the necessary playing skills to play in the outfield and conversely outfield players lack the skill to play goalkeeper. Despite this however, in times of crisis, outfield players have been known to play goal, even at the professional level.
See also
- Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on in what sport it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , usually clear of grass, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...
- Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out. A fielder or fieldsman...
- Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for more information about the baseball fielding positions in the outfield.