Baseball is a sport played between two teams of nine players, each equipped with uniforms and equipment designed to protect them from injury. It is played in a large outdoor stadium and the ball is thrown or batted at a target called home plate. The game originated in North America and spread to other parts of the world in the 19th century. Today it is a popular sport in North America, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.
Each team has a pitcher, catcher, and fielders. The catcher stands behind the batter to catch any balls that the batter does not hit, while the pitcher throws the ball to the fielders when it comes near. The hitter attempts to put the ball into play by running to first base, or to other bases if he or she has advanced past that point without being tagged out. A player scores a run when he or she touches home plate after advancing around the other bases.
The rules of the game are complex, and the skill required to succeed as a hitter or a runner is enormous. A successful batting or running performance requires an ability to estimate the trajectories of moving objects and then quickly adjust to the predicted movement by transferring momentum from one part of the body to another, creating a whip-like action that is almost impossible to explain with words. Good fielders are also able to begin their movements precisely when the ball is about to be hit, without wasting even a single step. Then they are able to instantly thrust their glove into position at the precise moment where they believe the ball will land.
As the game progresses, each team tries to get players to their own bases in order to score runs. To do this, a hitter must go to bat, then become a base runner by touching all the bases in order before they can be tagged out. Once a runner has reached home plate, they have scored a run and the other team must try to prevent them from scoring any more runs.
Fielders can also get runners out by catching the ball while they are not safely on a base, or by tagging a runner with the ball while he or she is not on a base. The game is usually played to nine innings, and the team with the most runs wins.
The batting team has the option to use a substitution when a player is injured or tired, but the new player must take the place of an original member of the batting lineup. The order of the batting lineup is important because the best batters in the game (such as Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, and Shohei Ohtani) are often locked into certain spots in the order. This allows them to focus on hitting the ball, and avoid chasing after bad pitches. This strategy allows them to accumulate the most points over the course of the game.