A professional baseball infield is a 90 ft (27.43 m) square, and the pitcher’s plate stands 60 ft 6 in (18.44 m) from the rear point of home plate. Little League’s Major Division uses a 60 ft (18.29 m) square and a 46 ft (14.02 m) pitching distance. The outfield has no fixed size: the Official Baseball Rules require only 250 ft (76.20 m) to the nearest fence in fair territory, and call 320 ft (97.54 m) down the foul lines and 400 ft (121.92 m) to center field preferable. Three rule sets are compared below.
Field diagram
Full baseball field dimensions
| Measurement | Figure | Applies to | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base distance (home to first, along the foul line) | 90 ft (27.43 m) | MLB, NFHS | Official rule |
| Base distance, Little League Major Division | 60 ft (18.29 m) | Little League Major (and below) | Official rule |
| Pitching distance (front of the plate to the back point of home plate) | 60 ft 6 in (18.44 m) | MLB, NFHS | Official rule |
| Pitching distance, Little League Major Division | 46 ft (14.02 m) | Little League Major (and below) | Official rule |
| Home plate to second base (the diagonal) | 127 ft 3 3/8 in (38.80 m) | MLB, NFHS | Official rule |
| Home plate to second base, Little League Major Division | 84 ft 10 in (25.86 m) | Little League Major (and below) | Official rule |
| Mound height above the level of home plate | 10 in (0.25 m) | MLB | Official rule |
| Mound height, Little League Major Division | 6 in (0.15 m) | Little League Major (and below) | Official rule |
| Base size (side of a bag) | 18 in (0.46 m) | MLB | Official rule |
| Infield grass line, radius from the center of the pitcher’s plate | 95 ft (28.96 m) | MLB, NFHS | Official rule |
| Home plate to the nearest fence in fair territory, absolute minimum | 250 ft (76.20 m) | MLB | Official rule |
| Foul line to the fence, preferred distance | 320 ft (97.54 m) | MLB | Recommendation |
| Home plate to center field fence, preferred distance | 400 ft (121.92 m) | MLB | Recommendation |
| Home plate to the outfield fence, Little League Major Division | 200 ft (60.96 m) | Little League Major (and below) | Recommendation |
What each line and marking does
MLB Rule 2.01 calls for a 90-foot square, measured from the back point of home plate to the far corner of first base. Second base is then fixed by tape at 127 ft 3 3/8 in (38.80 m) from that same point. The true diagonal of a 90 ft square is 127.2792 ft, so the rulebook’s figure runs about 3 mm long. Build to the rulebook.
The foul lines run from the back point of home plate out past first and third base, and outfield distances are measured along them. Little League gives them a second job: Rule 1.04 builds the catcher’s box by extending each foul line 9 ft beyond the back point of the plate, so that box is a trapezoid. Its stated depth is about 6 ft 4 3/8 in (1.94 m); the 12 ft 8 3/4 in (3.88 m) width at the rear line is a derived calculation, not a printed figure.
One grass line is compulsory in professional baseball. Rule 2.01(a) puts the outer edge of the infield dirt on a 95 ft (28.96 m) radius from the center of the pitcher’s plate, and a club complies if the average radius is 94 to 96 ft. Every other grass line is left to the club, and NFHS strikes the same arc. Little League publishes none: Rule 1.04 leaves the grassed and bare areas to each league.
The boxes at home plate match in MLB and NFHS play. Each batter’s box is 4 ft by 6 ft (1.22 m by 1.83 m), split 3 ft forward and 3 ft back of the center of the plate. The catcher’s box behind it is 43 in by 8 ft (1.09 m by 2.44 m).
Equipment: bases, plates and the mound
MLB bases are 18 in (0.46 m) square and 3 to 5 in thick. Rule 2.03 moved the bag from 15 in to 18 in for the 2023 season. Little League did not follow: Rule 1.06 still allows a bag of 14 to 15 in square, no more than 2 1/4 in thick.
Home plate is the same five-sided shape in all three rule sets: a 17 in (0.43 m) edge facing the pitcher, two 8 1/2 in sides and two 12 in sides meeting at the back point. MLB and NFHS use a slab 24 in by 6 in (0.61 m by 0.15 m); Little League’s is 18 in by 4 in (0.46 m by 0.10 m).
The professional mound is an 18-foot-diameter circle centered 59 ft from the back of home plate, with the plate 10 in (0.25 m) above home plate. Rule 2.01 also fixes the slope: 1 inch of fall per foot, uniform, from 6 in in front of the plate to a point 6 ft toward home. NFHS draws the same circle but publishes no height. Little League’s mound is a 10-foot circle with the plate 6 in (0.15 m) up.
Clearance and total space
None of these bodies publishes a total footprint, because baseball has no fixed outfield. The only hard floor is 250 ft (76.20 m) to the nearest fence, stand or obstruction in fair territory. Above it, 320 ft (97.54 m) down the lines and 400 ft (121.92 m) to center field are called preferable, and a note to the same rule makes 325 ft and 400 ft conditions for any field a professional club has built since 1 June 1958. Little League calls the fence distance a local option, recommending 200 ft (60.96 m).
Behind home plate, MLB recommends a backstop 60 ft (18.29 m) or more from home plate, and the NFHS diagram runs the same 60 ft back. Little League uses 25 ft (7.62 m). NFHS labels its figure neither rule nor recommendation, so treat it as the laid-out dimension.
Where the rule sets differ
| Figure | MLB | NFHS | Little League Major |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base distance | 90 ft (27.43 m) | 90 ft (27.43 m) | 60 ft (18.29 m) |
| Pitching distance | 60 ft 6 in (18.44 m) | 60 ft 6 in (18.44 m) | 46 ft (14.02 m) |
| Home to second | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 127 ft 3 3/8 in | 84 ft 10 in |
| Mound height | 10 in (0.25 m) | Not published free | 6 in (0.15 m) |
| Mound circle | 18 ft across | 18 ft across | 10 ft across |
| Base size | 18 in (0.46 m) | Not published free | 14 to 15 in |
| Grass line radius | 95 ft (28.96 m) | 95 ft (28.96 m) | None published |
| Coach’s box | 20 ft long, 1 to 10 ft deep | 20 by 5 ft | 8 by 4 ft |
| Backstop | 60 ft, recommended | 60 ft on the diagram | 25 ft (7.62 m) |
| Outfield fence | 250 ft minimum | Not published free | 200 ft recommended |
Overhead plan
The same surface seen from straight above, drawn to scale. Nothing is foreshortened here, so every figure can be read off the drawing the way a tape measure would take it.
Detail sheet
A rule book fixes more than the shape of the surface, and the rest of it is too small to draw at court scale: a mark a few centimetres long, a post standing a metre off the sideline, the clearance around the whole thing. Each one here has its own frame and its own scale.
Frequently asked questions
How far is the pitcher’s mound from home plate?
The measured distance is 60 ft 6 in (18.44 m), from the front edge of the pitcher’s plate to the rear point of home plate. That is MLB Rule 2.04; NFHS dimensions the same. Little League’s Major Division uses 46 ft (14.02 m).
How far apart are the bases in baseball?
MLB Rule 2.01 states that the infield shall be a 90-foot square, so consecutive bases are 90 ft (27.43 m) apart, with 127 ft 3 3/8 in (38.80 m) from home plate to second. Little League’s Major square is 60 ft (18.29 m) with an 84 ft 10 in (25.86 m) diagonal.
How big is a base?
An MLB bag is 18 in (0.46 m) square and 3 to 5 in thick under Rule 2.03, amended for the 2023 season; the same rule said 15 in before then. Little League Rule 1.06 allows 14 to 15 in square, no more than 2 1/4 in thick.
Is there a standard outfield size in baseball?
No. The Official Baseball Rules set one absolute floor, 250 ft (76.20 m) to the nearest fence in fair territory, then call 320 ft (97.54 m) down the foul lines and 400 ft (121.92 m) to center field preferable. A note to that rule makes 325 ft and 400 ft minimums for professional fields built since 1 June 1958.
Are high school fields the same size as professional ones?
For the infield, yes: the NFHS diagram carries the same 90 ft square, 60 ft 6 in pitching distance, 127 ft 3 3/8 in diagonal and 95 ft grass-line radius. Mound height, base size and outfield distances are another matter: the NFHS Baseball Rules Book is sold rather than published free, its diagram omits those figures, and they are not imported here from elsewhere.
Official sources
- Major League Baseball / Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Official Baseball Rules, 2025 Edition, Rules 2.01 to 2.05 and Appendices 1 to 3.
- National Federation of State High School Associations, Baseball Field Diagram, Rule 1-2, Diagram 2, 2019 NFHS Baseball Rules.
- Little League Baseball, Major/Minor Divisions Field Layout, current drawing.
- Little League Baseball, Major/Minor Divisions Pitching Mound Layout, updated 3/2/2018.
- Little League Baseball, Rules Instruction Manual, Playing Rules 1.04 to 1.08, 2018 edition.
- Little League Baseball, Field Specifications, current page.
- Little League Baseball, 2026 Rulebook Significant Updates, 2026, confirming no field dimension changed.
All seven documents were consulted on 5 September 2026. The Little League rule text is the 2018 manual, the most recent free full rule text Little League hosts. How each figure is labeled is set out on the methodology page; report an error through corrections.