two balls

So my wife asked me the difference between baseball and softball today.  I know she probably knows many of the differences, but how would I know what she doesn't know?

The obvious difference is the size of the ball.  A baseball easily fits in the palm of any adult, whereas a softball is much larger.  A softball also doesn't fly as far as a baseball.  Centerfield in a baseball park is normally around 400', whereas the deepest part of a softball field is around 300'.

a baseball and a softball

With the smaller field comes shorter distances between bases.  In baseball the distance is 90' between each successive base.  In softball, the distance is 60'.

Another big difference is that a softball is pitched underhand, and a baseball is pitched overhand.  There are two types of softball, one being fastpitch, and one being slowpitch.  The difference is that in slow pitch the pitcher arcs the ball, trying to hit the plate or mat behind the plate to get a strike call.  In fastpitch, the pitcher throws the ball fast to hit a strike zone defined by the umpire.

These are some of the major differences I could think of offhand.  There are a few other ideas that are popping into my mind right now, but the point of this blog is to not get lost in the minutiae.