Baseball is a team sport played with a round ball, bats and bases. It is a fast-paced game of strategy and tactics, with players running around the bases trying to score points. Players can get a point for their team by hitting the ball and then running past 3 points called bases without being caught out by members of the opposing team. The game has a long history, with reports of variations of it being played as early as the 1830s.
To play baseball you will need a bat, a ball and a pair of gloves. The bat can be made of wood, aluminium or another material. The ball is white with red stitching and is about 3.25 inches in diameter. The batting and catcher teams use gloves with extra padding in them to help catch the ball, and a special mitt that enables the hitter to pick up the ball off the ground. The catcher also wears a mask and body pads.
The batter, who stands at home plate and holds a bat, has three chances to hit the ball in a row and win the game for their team. The bat must be held with the non-dominant hand (usually the left), and a fast, smooth swing is important for success. A good starting point for new players is to practice on a batting tee, where they can work out their swings with the help of their coach.
Once the batter has successfully struck the ball, they then become a base runner and must run past all of the bases in order before returning to home plate. Runners cannot pass each other while they are running, and must touch the bases with some part of their bodies. They can also try to make other runners run past the bases before they, but this is usually not successful.
As a runner, you can be thrown out by the umpire for several reasons: you leave a base before your teammate tags you. you pass a previous runner on the base paths (unless you have a tag-up rule in your league). you hit a fair ball into foul territory, such as over the dugout or outfield fence.
The game is played in innings, with each inning lasting nine minutes. When the fielding team gets three of the batting team’s players out, an inning ends and the teams swap over. The first team to complete nine innings wins the game.
Watching baseball games on TV is an excellent way to learn more about the rules of the game and how it’s played. You can even learn from watching the professionals, although it can be hard to keep up with their speed and strength! Try to focus on how the players move and what strategies they are using. For example, if you notice that a player is holding their glove up higher or lower than you would, consider how they might benefit from changing their technique.