Baseball/Softball at IMGA Master Games
> Registrations are open for 2023 Asia pacific Masters Games South Korea
Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding. A game is usually composed of nine innings, and the team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. If scores are tied at the end of nine innings, extra innings are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, although most games end in the ninth inning.
Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognised as the national sport of the United States. Baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
Age categories
Baseball:
Men A & B Grades: 35+, 45+, 55+
Men C Grade: 65+
The age category you will compete in for Baseball will be determined as at 31 December of the year of the event. For teams, the category you compete in is based on the age of the youngest team member. For example, if your youngest team member is 44 during Games time but has turned 45 by 31 December, you would compete in the 45+ age category.
Possible events and disciplines
Fast Pitch
Slow Pitch
Baseball Grade definitions
A Grade (Competitive): Teams comprising athletes that are able to compete at a national or international competition level, with experience of competing in games of a very competitive nature. Pitch counts will be in effect in competitive grades and these will be advised at a later date.
B Grade (Recreational): Teams comprising athletes who participate at a local or regional competition level, including social and recreational leagues or events.
Open Grade: Teams comprising athletes with varying experience from local to national competition level, where games are expected to be played with a competitive spirit.
A player can only compete in one age category and on one team.
Past Results
Baseball
View the WMG Portland 1998 Baseball Results
View the WMG Melbourne 2002 Baseball Results
View the WMG Sydney 2009 Baseball Results
View the WMG Torino 2013 Baseball Results
View the PMG Vancouver 2016 Baseball Results
View the WMG Auckland 2017 Baseball Results
Softball
Softball is a game like baseball played with a larger ball on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, a pitcher’s mound that ranges from 35–43 feet away from home plate, and a home run fence that is 220–300 feet away from home plate, depending on the type of softball being played. It was invented in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as an indoor game. The game moves at a faster pace than traditional baseball due to the field being smaller and the bases and the fielders being closer to home plate. There is less time for the base runner to get to first while the opponent fields the ball; yet the fielder has less time to field the ball while the opponent is running down to first base.
Age categories
Softball
35+, 45+, 55+
The age category you will compete in for Softball will be determined as at 31 December of the year of the event. For teams, the category you compete in is based on the age of the youngest team member. For example, if your youngest team member is 44 during Games time but has turned 45 by 31 December, you would compete in the 45+ age category.
Possible events and disciplines
Fast Pitch
Slow Pitch
Softball Grade definitions
A Grade – Premier: This grade is for teams consisting of players with international or national experience. At least two players should have international experience. The other team members are expected to be at a state/ province/ elite club player level.
B Grade – Competitive: This grade is for those players who compete in a high standard of domestic level softball, such as A grade in their local competition and athletes who have represented their club or town in state/province competition.
C Grade – Recreational: This grade is for those players who participate in non-competitive and/or lower grade leagues and for social and casual players.
A player can only compete in one age category and on one team.
Past Results
Softball
View the WMG Portland 1998 Softball Results
View the WMG Melbourne 2002 Softball Results
View the WMG Edmonton 2005 Softball Results
View the WMG Sydney 2009 Softball Results
View the WMG Torino 2013 Softball Results
View the PMG Vancouver 2016 Softball Results
View the WMG Auckland 2017 Softball Results
View the EMG Torino 2019 Softball Results
The IMGA doesn’t allow building new venues and encourages the host cities to use existing facilities to keep the costs lower. Therefore, the following information is subject to changes depending on the venues available.
