Baseball is a popular sport played around the world. It is played between two teams of nine players. The team with the most points after nine innings is declared the winner. If the game is tied at the end of the ninth inning, an extra inning is added.
The baseball field is divided into two sections, an infield and an outfield. The infield is located near the home plate and contains the pitcher’s mound, the first and second bases, and the catcher. The outfield is situated just above the third and second bases. It is the responsibility of the outfielder to play line drives on the bounce.
The pitching mound is in the center of the infield. The catcher wears a body pad, and mits, or oversized gloves, help fielders catch the ball.
The baseball is about 3 inches in diameter. It is made of aluminum or wood. It can be thrown up to 95 miles per hour. It travels 60 feet from the pitcher’s mound to the home plate. A batter can receive up to three strikes before getting out. If a player is caught on the foul line, he is allowed to walk to first base.
The ball is white with red stitching. The batter waits for a predetermined moment when he can swing the bat. He makes the final move, a powerful whip action, by moving his wrists and turning his shoulders. A good fielder will start moving as soon as the ball is hit. A bad fielder will start moving as late as possible and may make a fly ball. The umpire determines the strike zone, which is the area between the knees and armpits of the batter.
If a player hits the pitcher’s pitch, he runs to first base. A runner at any of the other bases can also score a point. The total number of points scored by a batter can be as many as four, provided that the hitter reaches all four bases. If a runner catches the ball before it hits the ground, he must tag up and go to a base.
In addition to batting and fielding, a team has to score points by running along all the bases in order to win. Each team has three outs in an inning. In extra innings, a team can try to score a run in the bottom of the inning or the top. In the bottom of the ninth inning, if the batting team has one or two runners on the bases, the batting team does not have to complete its batting innings.
During a batting inning, a team can have as many as four hitters. However, a team is not allowed to change its batting lineup during the game. It is a team’s decision, but a coach or manager is usually responsible for the overall strategy.
To hit the ball for power, a player must combine basic fundamentals of hitting with an increased speed. Intentional swing motions produce more powerful hits. It takes about 43 thousandths of a second for the batter to know where the ball will go. It is difficult to explain how the human brain can estimate this trajectory.