General Question

erichw1504's avatar

Why, in baseball, do we run the bases counter-clockwise?

Asked by erichw1504 (26453points) November 2nd, 2009

I’ve always wondered this and haven’t found out why. Who came up with the rule that we run the bases in a counter-clockwise direction? Wouldn’t you think, logically, we’d go clockwise? Does it have something to do with most batters being right-handed? Do other countries do the opposite?

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18 Answers

oratio's avatar

I guess, cause most people are right handed and bat like that, thus it would be natural to run in that direction?

limeaide's avatar

Total guess here, but I’m assuming most people are right handed 70 to 95% according this, since you are already facing right you’d want to start running that way.

limeaide's avatar

We were typing at the same time, you beat me though. :)

MrItty's avatar

One might better ask: Why do clocks always go in what we now call “clockwise” order?

I think that’s the arbitrary decision. Baseball running order has a physical reason, as given by @limeaide and @oratio

oratio's avatar

@MrItty True. I assume clockwise order originates with the sundial and the suns movement.

critter1982's avatar

@oratio is correct. Clocks turn clockwise because of the sundial.

burner959's avatar

@oratio @limeaide both seem to have the right idea, IMO

NaturalMineralWater's avatar

What I’m wondering is why it’s called clock wise .. I’ll never understand English completely. God Bless alternative languages.

mowens's avatar

Because they are running outside of the space time continuum. If we ran clockwise, the fabric of space time would rip, destroying the entire universe.

gailcalled's avatar

There was a recent question about wordswise and wisewise but I am too rushed activitywise to find it. Maybe @Jeruba, who is, indeed, wise, can find it.

robmandu's avatar

If clockwise is based on the sundial, and we run bases counter-clockwise, then which direction do they run the bases in the southern hemisphere?

oratio's avatar

@robmandu They run clockwise backwards.

critter1982's avatar

Upside-downwise?

MrItty's avatar

Huh. Thanks, @oratio and @critter1982. I probably should have realized that.

erichw1504's avatar

Leftside-underside-diagonalwise?

Harp's avatar

This is just pushing the question a bit further back into history, but the general idea of baseball derives from the very old British game of “rounders”, which uses a similar playing field who’s bases are run in the same direction.

AstroChuck's avatar

Because if a batter were to run the bases clockwise he’d be out.

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