The WIFFLE ball was designed to take the place of baseball, stickball and softball for
boys and girls in back yards and city streets. It is made of a tough rubbery plastic –
is light in weight and cannot be thrown or hit any great distance. The WIFFLE ball is
also an excellent indoor ball.
The WIFFLE ball is thrown like a baseball and will curve very easily. The diagrams below
show how the ball should be held for curving and controlling the ball. Experiment with
different grips and releases to find the pitches that work best for you. There is no
need to throw the ball hard to produce results!
As stated above, the WIFFLE ball was designed for use in congested areas. Because the
ball will not travel far when solidly hit, ball chasing and base running have been
eliminated. An ordinary broom handle can be used if a WIFFLE bat is not available. The
size of the playing field is optional, but we recommend a minimum dimension of 20 feet
in width at the home run markers (approx. 8 paces) by about 60 feet long (approx. 23 paces)
from home plate to each home run marker. The field is laid out with foul lines and
markers for singles, doubles triples and home run areas. See sketch of suggested playing field.
The minimum number of players required to play a game with the WIFFLE ball is two – the
pitcher and batter – one player per side. The maximum number of players that can compete
are ten – five players to a side. If a full team is playing, each side will consist of a
catcher, pitcher, double area fielder, triple area fielder and home run area fielder.
Fielders cannot move from one area to another when a full team is playing. When more
than two players are playing, captains for each side are picked and they choose their
respective teams alternately. As in baseball, the game is played with one team at bat
and one team in the field. The batting order of the team at bat shall be Pitcher, Catcher,
Double Area player, Triple Area player and finally Home Run area player. The rules of
play are similar to baseball, however there is no base running. Three outs to retire a
side, per inning, nine innings per game. In case of a tie, additional innings are played.
For a complete inning, both sides must bat.
An out for the batter can be made in three ways:
- The batter can strike out only if he/she swings at a pitched ball and does not foul tip the t
hird strike. Foul tips count as a strike for the first two strikes only. A foul tip caught in back
of the batters box does not count as an out.
- Fly balls caught in fair or foul territory
- Ground balls caught while the ball is in motion, in fair
territory. Bunting is not allowed and the batter cannot obtain a base on balls.
Single markers are placed approximately 24 feet from home plate on the foul line. A ball
hit in the single area (i.e. the area between batters box and single markers and not caught,
constitutes a single. Double markers are placed approximately 20 feet in back of the single
markers on the foul line. A ball hit in the double area (between the single marker and the
double marker) and not caught constitutes a double. Triple markers are placed on foul lines
20 feet back of the double markers. Balls hit in the triple area (between the double markers
and triple markers) and not caught, constitute a triple. Balls hit past the triple markers,
and not caught, constitute a home run.
The baseball rules of scoring apply:
Example: A player hits a single – his/her team has a man on first base (imaginary runners).
The next player hits a single – the team now has a man of first and second. Third batter
hits a home run – three runs score! (The imaginary runners on first and second, plus the home run.)
- A batter earns 1 imaginary base on a single, 2 imaginary bases on a double and 3 imaginary bases on a triple.
- A runner on 1st advances one base on a single, 2 bases on a double and scores on a triple
- A runner on 2nd base scores on a single, double, or triple.
- A runner on 3rd base scores on any hit.
