Baseball is a sport played between two teams of nine players on a diamond-shaped circuit of four bases. It is chiefly a warm-weather game and is played primarily in the United States and Canada. It has a long history and is a cultural icon in both the United States and several other countries. It has also been a significant influence on other sports. In fact, it can be argued that many of the basic rules and strategies of basketball, hockey and football derive from baseball.
The object of the batting team (referred to as the offensive team) is to score runs by getting their players to all four bases and home plate before the defensive team records three outs. A player gets a single point if he or she touches all the bases and is not tagged out while running. A player who reaches all the bases and touches home plate before being tagged out is awarded a triple, while a home run is worth four points.
In order to get on base, the batter must hit a pitched ball that is within certain areas of the field called the strike zone. The batter is given up to three strikes before being declared out. If the batter misses the ball, or if he or she hits the ball and it does not leave the field of play, a batted ball will be ruled a “ball,” and the batter may freely advance to first base. A batter can be out on a force out, a fly out or a tag out.
A tag out occurs when a defensive player with the ball tags the batter before they are safe on a base. A forced out is when a batter attempts to reach base while being tagged before the catcher has possession of the ball.
The batter can also be out if the ball is caught by the defense before it lands in the field of play. A fielder can catch a ball on the ground, in the air or in midair and throw it to a base to record an out.
A team plays 162 games in a season. These are grouped into three-game series that are usually hosted by one of the teams. A team will typically play a number of home series, then travel to several road series. In addition to this, there are a number of interleague games that are played by all the teams in the same league.
The game’s origins lie in the American frontier and the desire for Americans to have a sport that was truly their own. Unlike cricket and German turnvereins, which were rooted in British culture, the game of baseball was created by a uniquely American figure in the 19th century and infused with nationalistic sentiment that helped it become an American cultural icon. The game grew in popularity throughout the Americas and Asia-Pacific during the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the world’s most popular sport.