Known as 'America's pastime,' baseball is watched and played by people off all ages. It is a sport played by two teams of nine players that alternate between offense and defense during the game. The team that scores the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Innings
A typical game consists of nine innings. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game goes into extra innings. During the 'top' of the inning, one team plays offense and the other team plays defense. During the 'bottom' of the inning, the teams switch sides.
Basics
The pitcher stands on the mound and throws the ball to the batter, standing at home plate. The pitcher tries to get the ball past the batter and into the catcher's mitt, and the batter tries to hit the ball and get on base. The rest of the team fields the hit balls to earn outs.
Hitting
When a player hits the ball, he must run to first base and continue on to second base, third base and then home plate, making contact with every bag to score a run. When a player hits the ball over the outfield wall between the foul poles, he has hit a homerun and scored a run. He has also driven in any other player on base. One player from a team can be selected to be the designated hitter, or DH. The DH does not play defense, but must always bat the same position in the rotation.
Baserunning
As soon as a batter hits the ball and drops the bat he becomes a runner. A runner can lead off the base in preparation of a hit or steal a base when the pitcher has released the ball. A runner is out if he is off the base and tagged by a fielder holding the ball, the fielder is holding the ball on the base that the runner is forced to advance to, the runner misses a base and is tagged or the base is played before the runner returns to it, or the runner strays more than three feet from the direct line between the bases.
Foul Ball
A ball is deemed 'foul' when it is hit outside the boundary lines. A baseball field is shaped like triangle, with two lines running away from home plate. If the ball crosses these lines or is hit behind the batter, it is foul. A defensive player can catch a foul ball for an out. However, if he mishandles it and it lands on the ground the ball is in play and the player that hit the ball can run the bases.
Strikes
A batter earns a 'strike' when he swings at a ball and misses, doesn't swing at a ball thrown in the strike zone, hits a ball into foul territory (except after the second strike), or hits a bunt foul with two strikes against him.
Outs
A batter earns an 'out' when he incurs three strikes, the ball is caught before it touches the ground, or the ball reaches the base before the runner.
Balls
A pitcher throws a 'ball' whenever his pitch is outside the strike zone and not swung at by the batter. When a pitcher throws four balls to a batter, he advances to first base.
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