Outfield is the grassy area of a baseball or softball field beyond the infield diamond, where fly balls often land. Three players, the outfielders, patrol this territory: the left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. Their job is to catch fly balls hit high into the air and chase down ground balls that make it past the infielders.

Playing outfield requires different skills than infield positions. Outfielders need to judge where a ball will land by watching its arc through the sky, sometimes running backward or racing toward the fence at full speed. A good outfielder can make a difficult catch look easy by tracking the ball while sprinting across the grass.

The outfield is also where home run balls sail when hit hard enough to clear the fence. When announcers say a slugger “sent it deep to the outfield,” they mean the ball traveled far from home plate.