Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, as well as around the world. Unlike basketball, football or soccer, baseball is not played on a rectangular playing field but rather a diamond-shaped infield with a outfield shaped like a semi-circle. Baseball can be played at almost any age, from T-ball and Little League through high school, college and professional baseball and into adult leagues.
The Field
The field is set up in a diamond shape with home plate at the bottom of that diamond and first, second and third base positioned counter-clockwise around the diamond. The goal is to progress around the bases, and every time the offense has a batter move all the way around, it earns a run.
Pitching
Each play starts with a ball thrown by a pitcher, who stands 60 feet 6 inches from home plate. The pitcher aims for strike zone, which covers the width of the plate and extends from the batter's chest to the knees. The batter tries to swing at the pitches in the strike zone, and if three pitches pass through the strike zone, the batter is out. If four pitches miss the strike zone before the batter puts the ball in play or strikes out, the batter is awarded a base on balls, also referred to as a walk.
Defensive Positions
Nine players, including the pitcher, are positioned around and behind the diamond to try to prevent the offense from scoring runs. The pitcher throws to the catcher, who squats behind home plate to receive the pitches. Four infielders are spaced around the infield: the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop and third basemen. There are also three outfielders, manning left, center and right field.
Ball in Play
When a batter puts the ball in play, a number of things can happen. If the ball is caught on a fly, the batter is out. The defense can also relay a ground ball to first base before the batter reaches first to retire the batter. If the batter is able to reach base safely, he is awarded a hit; batters may try to advance to second, third or home before the ball is corralled by the fielders. A ball hit in fair territory out of the field of play is a home run. The offense tries to score as many times as possible before recording three outs, after which the teams alternate offense and defense. Three outs for each team is called an inning, with professional games lasting nine innings.
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