International Baseball -- Rule Differences

Are there any international rules that apply to

Olympic competition that Americans may not be

accustomed to seeing?

In international competition, players are

allowed to use aluminum bats and the designated

hitter rule is in effect, similar to U.S.

collegiate baseball.

A run-difference rule is also used. If a team

is losing by 10 or more runs after having

batted in at least seven innings, the game is

ended at that point.

Helmets with double ear-flaps are mandatory for

the hitter and base runners.

Speed-up rules are also used to limit the

length of games. For example, pitchers must

deliver each pitch within 20 seconds after the

previous pitch or completion of the previous

play, and hitters must remain in the batter's

box unless a request for time out is made.