Baseball

"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." Yogi Berra

Baseball is a bat and ball sport, typically played in summer, with roots dating back to the 1700s. Packed with tradition, skill, and athleticism, baseball games offer a welcoming atmosphere and uniquely social fan experience. For many people, the sport’s name alone conjures up images of soaring home runs, and long, sunny afternoons.

Baseball History

While it is true that, throughout history, people have always enjoyed bat and ball sports, baseball most likely originated in 18th Century England as a game similar to rounders. It wasn’t until the 1800s, however, that the game really took off when it was brought, by immigrants, to North America.

Over time, the rules and intricacies of baseball evolved, and it didn’t take long for the game to become deeply engrained in the culture of the United States. Around the turn of the century, professional organizations like the American League and National League (now part of Major League Baseball) were established, and by 1903, baseball had its first great championship – the World Series.

Today, baseball’s popularity remains undiminished in North America, and the game is equally popular in Japan, the Republic of Korea and Central America. In the English-speaking world, even those who have never seen a baseball game have probably used baseball phrases like "home run", "three strikes" and "curveball" in their day-to-day lives.

Baseball Format & Scoring

Baseball is played between 2 teams on a diamond-shaped field. At each corner of the diamond is a "base", and in the middle of the diamond is the pitcher's mound. From here, the pitcher throws the ball towards a batter, who stands opposite them on a corner of the diamond called "home base". At its core, the game revolves around this duel between batter and pitcher.

Unlike many sports, baseball does not have a time limit. Instead, games are divided into 9 innings. Each inning is split into 2 halves – a "top" half and a "bottom" half. In the top half, one team bats in an attempt to score runs, while the opposition pitches and fields in an effort to stop them. The batting team scores runs by hitting the ball away from the opposition fielders and running around the bases. A full trip around the bases and back to home plate is worth one run. The most efficient way to do this is by hitting the ball beyond the outfield and into the stands, making it impossible for the opposition to retrieve it, and meaning the batter can easily round the bases and score. This is known as a "home run".

The best way for a defending team to prevent the batting team from scoring runs is by getting batters "out". Three ways to get a batter out include "strikeout" (making a batter swing and miss at 3 good pitches), catching a ball hit in the air before it bounces, and throwing the ball to a base before a batter can reach it. After 3 outs, the teams switch positions (the batting team fields, and the fielding team bats) in the "bottom" half of the inning. At the end of 9 innings, the team with the most runs scored is the winner.