Many of our teams practice on multi-use fields or baseball fields that aren’t regulation. This article will help you layout a perfect infield for your next team practice regardless of the field your using.
A regulation baseball infield is a simple 90-foot square. But, where do those measurements start and end?
Regulation Baseball Infield Measurements
Not surprisingly, we start at home plate. Home plate is a 17-inch square of whitened rubber with two of the corners removed so that one edge is 17 inches long, two adjacent sides are 8 1/2 inches each and the remaining two sides are 12 inches each and set at an angle to make a point. The 17-inch side faces the pitcher’s plate, and the two 12-inch edges coincide with the first- and third-base lines.
You start measuring your regulation baseball infield by running a steel tape from the back apex of home plate over the pitcher’s mound to the center point of second base. That distance from home to 2nd base is 127 feet, 33/8 inches.
All of the bases must be 15-inch squares that are between 3 and 5 inches thick, covered by white canvas or rubber and filled with soft material.
Once you have those two points set, you can now set first base and third base.
To set first and third, you scribe two arcs. One arc is 90 feet from the center of second base and the other is an arc 90 feet from the apex of home plate. Where these two arcs intersect is the back corner of the base.
Yes, you read that right. The 90 feet is to the back of the bases. Which means when you measure straight line distance between the two closest points between two bases, it’s about 88 feet.
Set first base using the same method and you now have a perfect 90-foot square to play baseball on.
The Pitcher’s Mound
If you have a line running from the apex of home plate to the center of second base, you have everything you need to set your pitching plate.
The primary measurement for the pitcher’s plate or rubber is 60 feet 6 inches. That measurement starts at the apex of home plate and stops at the forward edge of the pitcher’s rubber.
The pitcher’s plate itself must be a 24-inch by 6-inch slab of whitened rubber that is 10 inches above the level of home plate.
If you’re practicing on a non-regulation field, you might want to invest in a high-quality 200-foot measuring tape and a set of throw down bases.
If you would rather just print out a full PDF version of the dimensions and throw it in your bag, we can help you with that too.
