Baseball, already popular in the United States by the mid-19th century, is (like any major sport) bound by a long list of rules and regulations. Knowing the basics of baseball, however--the simple, foundational rules--is enough for most to be able to enjoy the game on any given day.
Teams
In baseball, two teams play against each other. One is referred to as "on the field" (on defense) and the other as "at bat" or "batting" (on offense). Teams face each other over nine innings. During each inning, each team will play on the field for a half-inning and at bat in the other half-inning. An inning ends when both teams have suffered three outs during their respective turns on offense.
At Bat
The team at bat's players stand at home plate (the base at the bottom of the diamond) and attempt to hit the ball. Once the ball has been hit, the player runs around the bases, starting by going to first base, to the right of home plate. If the ball is hit far or the fielders commit an error (a dropped ball or a bad throw), the runner may be able to get to second base, third base or home plate. The object of being at bat is to hit the ball and advance around the bases back to home plate.
Home Runs and Walks
If the batter hits the ball over the fence inside of the foul lines, it is deemed a home run and the batter runs around all bases to home plate, scoring the batter and runners that happened to be on-base at the time. If the pitcher throws four "balls" (pitches not deemed strikes by the umpire or offered at by the batter) the batter "walks," and moves unmolested to first base. If a runner is already on first base, that runner also moves, to second base, and so on.
On the Field
The team on defense plays in the field, in numerous positions. The catcher stands behind the batter and receives the pitches. The pitcher stands on the pitcher's mound, in the middle of the diamond. The first, second and third basemen stand in the general vicinity of their respective bases. In the outfield, there's a right fielder, a center fielder and a left fielder. The object of defense is to get the batter and runners out. This is done by catching a hit baseball before it touches the ground, throwing the baseball to a base before the runner is able to reach the base, or causing the batter to strike out. The latter is accomplished when the pitcher throws three strikes. A strike is thrown when the batter either swings and misses or the umpire deems a ball not swung at a good pitch over home plate. If the batter hits the ball outside of the side boundaries of the field, this is considered a foul and is counted as a strike (if it is the third strike, it is considered a foul and the pitcher throws again). Three outs signal the end of the inning, and the teams switch places at bat and in the field.
Winning
If a player on offense reaches home plate, his team scores one run. The team with the highest score after nine innings wins the game. If the score is tied after nine innings, teams play extra innings until one team comes out on top.
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