Batter's box
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In baseball, softball, and similar sports and games, the batter's box is the place where the batter stands when ready to receive a pitch from the pitcher. It is usually marked with chalk on top of the dirt surrounding home plate. There are two batter's boxes, one for left-handed batters and one for right-handed batters, both are treated the same under the rules. Right-handed batters stand in the batter's box on the left side of home plate from the perspective of the catcher; left handed batters would stand in the opposite batter's box.
The pitcher may not throw his pitch before the batter appears to be ready; batters commonly indicate this by keeping one foot on the ground outside of the batter's box. Once the batter enters the batter's box and appears to be ready, the pitcher may pitch at any time. If a batter wants to leave the batter's box at any time after he appears ready, they often ask the umpire for time first to ensure that no pitch is immediately thrown.
