Baseball is known as the ultimate American pastime and the second most popular sport in the United States. The game is played in the minor and major leagues as well as by children and families for fun. For those of you who do not know the game, here are some basics to get you started.
The Field
The baseball field is marked out in a square and called a diamond. There are four bases, one at each corner of the diamond. The hitter or batter stands at home base. The bases are 90 feet from each other. At a point 60,5 feet from the home base, you will see the pitcher mound.
The Players
During the game, there are nine fielders on the field and one batter for the batting team to score runs. A baseball team can, however, have up to 25 players. The players who are not on the field are substitutes and can be called up for different reasons.
The Game
The goal of the game is to score as many runs as possible. The basic idea is that the pitcher throws the ball to the batter who must hit it. If the batter hits the ball, he can run to first, second, or third base. If he hits well, he can run all the way around to the home base and score one run.
If the batter misses, it will be a strike. After three strikes, the batter is out and cannot play anymore. The next batter will then step up. When three batters for a team are out, the teams swap. The team who fielded first now bat and the team that batted first now become fielders.
There are nine innings in a baseball game. The visiting team plays the first half of an inning (the top) and the home team plays during the second half (the bottom). You will have heard in movies ‘we are at the bottom of the ninth’. Now you know what it means.
The Winner
The team with the most runs at the end of the ninth inning wins the game. There are no ties in baseball. This means that another inning will be added until one of the teams win.
There is a bit more about the mechanics and strategies of the game. However, theseare the basics of how baseball works. You should now be able to follow a game and understand which players are doing what. Put it to the test!
