In the United States, baseball has grown exponentially in popularity from the first official game played in 1846. The sport is now considered to be America's pastime. Whether it's T-ball or the Majors, baseball is an easy game to understand and can be enjoyed by all.
Innings
Baseball is played in nine innings, and the team with the highest score at the end wins. Each inning is split to create a top and bottom of the inning. The top of the inning is played first. The home team bats at the bottom of the inning. If the home team has the higher score after the top of the ninth inning, the bottom of the last inning is not played. The game goes into extra innings if the score is tied at the end of the ninth inning. Extra innings are added until one team has a higher score at the end of the inning.
Players and Positions
Each team plays with a nine-player lineup. Each player bats in the same batting sequence unless removed from the game. Batting order is dependent on the player's skills as a hitter. Each player also has a corresponding defensive position. Defensive positions include first, second and third basemen; pitcher; catcher; shortstop; and left, center and right field.
Outs
Each team must get three outs before the inning is over. Outs can be accomplished in several ways. If the pitcher throws three strikes, the hitter is out. A fly ball that is caught before it hits the ground gives the batting team an out. A player can receive an out at a base if the player fails to reach the base before the defensive baseman has the ball and touches the base. A player can also be out if tagged by a defensive player in possession of the ball.
Fouls, Strikes and Balls
A foul ball occurs when the batter hits the ball into foul territory and is considered a strike. A batter cannot strike out entirely on fouls with exception of bunting the last foul. The first two fouls count as strikes and the pitcher must throw the last strike to strike the batter out. If the pitcher throws a ball outside of the strike zone and the batter does not swing, it is called a ball. After four balls, the batter is walked. A pitched ball thrown over the strike zone is considered a strike whether the batter swings or not. If a pitch physically hits the batter, the batter takes his place on first base.
Force Play
More than one player cannot occupy a single base at any given time. A force play happens when a player is forced off his base because another player must advance to the base. For example, if a player is on first and a ball is hit, he must run to second base since the hitter will be running to first. If the defensive team throws the ball to the second baseman and the base is tagged, the original player on first is out. The second baseman can quickly throw the ball to the first baseman before the hitter reaches the base, registering a second out and completing a double play. A force play can be applied to any base.
Calls and Penalties
The umpires make calls during the game. An umpire may also decide to remove a player during the game due to misconduct. If a player is removed from the game, he must retire to the clubhouse for the remainder of the game.
References
- Mason J. Diedrich; formerly with "This Week in Baseball" and "Pennant Chase"; South Hackensack, New Jersey
- "Baseball's Knotty Problems"; The Sporting News; 1990
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: The History of Baseball
Member Comments