Baseball is a team sport in which players hit a ball with a bat and run around four bases. The first team to score three runs is the winner. The game is played between two teams of nine players. The game is normally divided into nine innings. The game started in the United States and is now popular throughout the world. Professional teams are split into the American League and the National League and compete in a championship called the World Series. The sport has become a symbol of the fabled melting pot of America, with people from all backgrounds finding success as players.
The game is primarily played on a field surrounded by protective fences, with the home plate area marked with a raised circle. The pitcher stands in the pitcher’s box and throws the ball towards home plate, where the catcher for the defensive team waits (in a crouched position). The batter stands in one of the four batter’s boxes and tries to hit the ball with his or her bat. The umpire behind home plate calls the game and signals to the batter by making hand gestures what type of pitch to swing at. The catcher also signals to the pitcher when it is time for the batter to bat.
Each inning lasts for five minutes. A team’s half-inning is over when a player of the opposing team reaches home plate, or gets tagged out by a member of the defensive team while trying to advance to a base. The game is won by the team with the most points at the end of nine innings. A tie is settled by extra innings.
In addition to the usual protective equipment for each player, a baseball batter must wear a helmet and batting gloves. The catcher must wear a mask, a chest protector, leg guards and shin guards. The defensive team also wears mitts, which are oversized gloves with extra padding in them to help them catch the ball.
The game was developed in the mid-19th century in America, where it has since gained widespread popularity. It has since become an international sport, with the best American players competing against foreign-born professionals in major leagues. The National League and the American League have been rivals for the World Series title since 1903. The game is also played in professional leagues across Latin America, Europe and East Asia.
The basic objective of the defensive team is to prevent runners from advancing past their respective bases, and to get the batter out by throwing the ball into his or her path. The defensive team has several options, including fielding a fly ball on the ground or in the air, taking away a run by catching it on its descent, or putting the runner out by tagging him or her before he or she can make it to a base. The defenders are positioned in left field, centre field and right field.