There is something about baseball that transcends the game itself. It’s a sense of history that runs deep in the sport, with curses and storied franchises, mythical moments from The Babe and 800 foot homers by Mickey Mantle. It’s Bill Buckner extending a century-old curse, and Aaron Boone trying to break it the next year. It’s the mystique of the stadium and a boombox blasting New York, New York over a Yankees clubhouse to help inspire a team to victory. It’s a roaring crowd and a heartfelt speech from a manager after an incredibly close call in the ninth inning. It’s the goosebumps and awe of seeing a player hit one out of the park for a winning run, or diving into the stands to get a face full of blood during a regular season game. It’s a crowd that goes wild after a long-awaited home run by a star player. It’s a legend of a game that gives people an escape from the everyday struggles of life, even for just a few hours.
In baseball, the object of the batting team is to score more runs than the other team. This can be done by a player becoming a base runner and touching all the bases in order (via one or more plays) and then getting to home plate without being tagged out by the defensive players. Alternatively, the batter can try to hit the ball into fair territory (between the baselines) in such a way that other players can run to it and score a run.
The batting team takes turns batting, with the opposing players playing defense in the field. The goal of the defending team is to get all three members of the batting team out. This can be accomplished by catching a batted ball in the air, throwing the ball past the batter before they touch a base, or putting out the batter with a force out or tag out. Once the defending team gets three players out, that half-inning is over and the teams switch places.
The four cornerstones of a baseball field are first base, second base, third base, and home plate. The pitcher’s mound is located between first and third bases, and consists of an elevated dirt platform with a rubber in the middle for a pitcher to pitch the ball from. The outfield is a fenced-in area that includes left field, center field, and right field. It contains three outfielders, who are usually the fastest players on the field. A “home run” occurs when the batter hits the ball into one of these outfield areas. A “double play” happens when a defensive player successfully catches a batted ball and tags out the batter and any runners at that base. Other scoring opportunities include a single, a double, and a triple. A player’s stats are compiled throughout the course of a game, with different categories for each one. In addition to hitting and batting average, other statistics include a player’s stolen bases, runs batted in, and home runs.