Generally speaking, baseball is a sport played by two teams. The two teams compete with each other in nine innings to determine the winner. The winning team is declared the winner when all the teams have scored at least two runs. Generally, a tied score is resolved with extra innings.
The game is played on a diamond shaped field. The field is centered by the pitcher’s mound. The mound is a round mass of dirt about 60 feet 6 inches from home plate. The pitcher stands in the center of the mound and attempts to throw the ball to the batter. The batter then swings the bat to put the ball in play.
The game is broken into “innings”. The batting team sends one player at a time to the plate to try to hit the ball. The fielding team then takes over and attempts to field the ball and prevent the batting team from scoring runs. The defending team tries to get the batting team “out”. Usually, the batting team has the advantage. However, the defense can outscore the batting team in the long run.
The game is ruled by the umpires. They are responsible for the rules of the game, which include determining whether the ball is in play and how fast the game is moving. The pitcher’s mound, home plate, and the other playing field elements are inspected by the umpires to determine if they meet the rules of the game.
Each team has nine players. These players are trained by two coaches. They are generally retired players. The players are divided into categories based on their special skills. Each team also has a manager. The manager’s job is to determine a lineup and make strategic decisions. The most important strategy is about the pitchers. The best pitcher can fill any position.
Each game has a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. The starting pitcher is usually the best player on the team. The relief pitcher, sometimes called a closer, is usually the player who finishes the game. The relief pitcher’s job is to pitch innings until the starting pitcher is ready.
The home team takes the defensive positions. The team’s goal is to get the offensive team “out”. The defense usually acts independently of the pitcher. The defense’s goal is to throw the batter out, which prevents the batter from scoring a run. This can be exciting. However, the defense may also throw the ball away. Usually, the batter can only get one run before he is “out”.
The game is usually played for nine innings. During each inning, the batting team attempts to score by hitting the ball and running along the bases. The batting team has one turn to bat and the fielding team has one turn to field.
The batting and fielding team switch roles after three outs. In the first inning, the batting team gets to bat first. The defending team gets to field the ball and prevent the batting crew from scoring.