How many players are on the field for defense in a softball game?

Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball (11 to 16 inches or 28 to 40 cm circumference) on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, a pitcher's mound that ranges from 35 to 43 feet away from home plate, a home run fence that is 220–300 (67.056-91.44 m) feet away from home plate, depending on the type of softball being played. In softball there are 4 outfielders in both slow-pitch and fast-pitch. The 4th being called the rover who goes where needed.

There are two rules codes for softball generally: slow-pitch softball and fast pitch softball. Slow-pitch softball is the most common type, while women's fast pitch softball is a Summer Olympic sport. The game was created by George Hancock.

Softball rules vary somewhat from those of baseball. The game moves at a faster pace than traditional baseball due to the field being smaller and the bases and the fielders being closer to home plate. In fast pitch softball the entire infield is dirt, and softball mounds are also flat, while baseball mounds are a small hill. Softballs are pitched underhand. This changes the arc of the ball when approaching the plate.

The earliest known softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. It took place at the Farragut Boat Club at a gathering to hear the outcome of the Yale University and Harvard University football game. A boxing glove was tightened into a ball, a broom handle serving as a bat. This first contest ended with a score of 41–40.