The Boston Renegades: Playing Beep Baseball at the top of their game

On Saturday, June 28, the Boston renegades swept a double header from the Pennsylvania Wolf Pack at Filipello Field in Watertown Massachusetts. The Renegades and the Wolf Pack play an adapted version of baseball for the blind and visually impaired known as beep baseball. These teams play with every bit of the competitive edge that you’d find at the professional level.

Here is a brief description of how the game is played. Each team fields six players. The field is different in that there is no second base. All players accept for the pitcher and catcher are blindfolded in order to make the game fair.
Each team has a sighted pitcher and catcher; the pitchers pitch to their teammates. Each game is six innings accept in the case of a tie which causes extra innings to be played just like in the professional game. The batter is allowed four strikes rather than three. Any ball hit 40 feet or less is automatically a foul ball.

There are a lot of sounds in beep baseball. The ball beeps and the bases buzz. When the batter makes contact with a fair ball, the home plate umpire activates either first base or third base. This is done randomly so as to give the defense a better chance to field the ball. The batter must then run to whichever base is buzzing. IF the batter reaches the base safely before the ball is fielded, a run has just scored. If the ball is fielded before the runner reaches the base, an out is recorded.

While the pitchers pitch to their own teams, the opposition is on the field to play defense. There is some variation in the positioning of defensive players just like in the professional game; this is based on fielder preferences and batter tendencies. All of the top teams keep offensive and defensive statistics. The field is generally divided into six quadrants that form a sort of pie shape around the bases. A typical defensive alignment might look something like this:

1. First base;
2. Right field;
3. Mid field, (a very shallow center field not far from where second base would be in a regular baseball configuration;
4. Left field;
5. Third base;
6. Back field, (deeper in center field, right and left fielders tend to play rather shallow unless a known power hitter is at the plate).

Defenders will usually run to and find the beeping ball on the ground and then hold it up for the umpire to see. Sometimes they will block the ball with their bodies. A catch in the air is very rare. In the history of organized beep baseball, only six balls have been caught in the air. A caught ball in the air is an automatic triple play.

It takes a lot of volunteers to make beep baseball happen. There are four umpires, home plate, first base, third base and outfield. The home plate umpire calls balls and strikes and decides which base to activate when the ball is hit. The first and third base umpires signal when the batter has reached the base. The outfield umpire signals when a defender has caught the ball. AS in professional baseball, the umpires will consult one another for close plays. There are also coaches and instructors that help improve team skill both offensively and defensively. Finally, each team uses one or two fielding spotters. The spotter calls out a number corresponding to the position of a hit ball. These numbers correspond to the defensive positions. Spotters will use different voice inflections to alert the defense to balls hit either hard or softly, or balls hit in the air or on the ground. If the spotter says anything other than one of the position numbers, the defensive team is penalized; the team at bat is awarded a run.

The Renegades and the Wolf Pack are very evenly matched. The renegades took game one by a score of 3 to zero. Dino Vasile was the star of game one with two defensive stops and two runs scored. The Renegades have been playing organized beep baseball nationally for seven years. The second game was a much closer affair. The Renegades took a 2 to nothing lead in the second inning. In the top of the fifth inning, the Wolf Pack came roaring back to take a 3 to 2 lead. The renegades tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. They then played stellar defense in the sixth inning and won the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the sixth with Joe Quintanilla scoring the winning run. Joe has been a Renegade since 2001. He was team captain in 2006 and 2007 but decided to step back this year and give someone else a chance at the leadership role. Joe is still one of the Renegades’ best players.

I’d like to highlight one other difference between beep baseball and regular baseball or softball. It is very important for the fans to keep quiet until plays are completed so that the players can listen to the sounds of the game. I made the mistake of cheering when one of the Renegades hit the ball hard. AS a baseball fan, I am so used to cheering when my team hits the ball hard. I was chided for my error and did not make the same mistake again. Being a fan of beep baseball is a bit like being a fan of golf in that you must remain silent until after play is complete so that the competitors can concentrate. But, after the play is made, both fans and players cheer or groan. It was obvious to me by the reactions of both teams that the competition between them is very intense. Incidentally, for anyone wanting to join the Renegades be prepared to make a major commitment. You will be playing at the highest levels of beep baseball.

The Renegades opened the season by winning their first national trophy winning the Long Island Classic in early June. They bested the Wolf Pack and two other teams from Chicago and Long Island. On July 12, the Renegades will visit Philadelphia to play another double-header with the Wolf Pack. On July 29, the Renegades will travel to Houston to play beep baseball for an entire week in the National Beep Ball Association World Series. NBBA is comprised of 15 teams throughout the United States and one team from Taiwan. For more information on the NBBA, go to www.nbba.org. The Boston Renegades are sponsored by the Association of blind Citizens. For more information on the Boston Renegades, go to www.blindcitizens.org and click on beep ball.