Baseball is one of the world’s most popular sports. Its popularity has increased over the years, even in tough economic times.
The game involves two teams of nine players, each playing a different position on the field. The batting team sends its players up to home plate in a special order, while the fielding team takes their defensive positions and try to get the batter “out” by putting the ball into fair territory and stopping a baserunner from moving to another base before they’re called out.
Each team’s batting order is listed in a special order at the start of the game, and each player must bat in the same order again once they reach home plate. A new player can only replace an existing player in the same order if the original player is still on the field, and they must change their name to match the new player’s.
There are four bases on the field, each spaced 90 feet apart. A batter must touch all of them to score a run. They also can’t go more than three or four bases without scoring a run. The bases are arranged in a diamond shape.
Running the Bases
A runner may run the bases as many times as he likes during a single plate appearance. Then, he’s no longer a runner and must stop at his base until his place in the batting order comes up again. The defending team can try to tag him out and put the ball back in play, or can throw him out at the next base.
Line Drives
A hit ball is a batted ball that flies off the bat and into the air, causing it to rise over the infield. A line drive can be a fly ball or a ground ball, and can be thrown over the infield wall or a base. A line drive is not a home run, because it doesn’t land in the stadium (although it can sometimes do so if a fielder has caught it in time).
Pitching
The pitcher throws the ball from the pitching mound, which is situated on a circular base in the center of the field. The pitcher’s arm moves in a way that looks similar to a fastball, but the ball travels much slower and is harder to hit.
Pitchers are usually specialized in one or more pitches. These include a fastball, a curveball, a change-up and a slider. They work these specialized pitches to fool the batter and allow them to score more runs than the opponent.
In the major leagues, there are 16 teams, ten in the American League and six in the National League. They are primarily located in the northeastern and midwestern United States, with the exception of St. Louis, which is the southernmost city with a major league team.
They play a three-division format, with 19 games against each of the other teams in their division and one series against each of their league’s designated interleague rivals. A team plays one home series against each of its four divisional opponents, and two against its interleague rivals – alternating the home teams each year.