Baseball is played between two teams of nine players each (eight if you count the designated hitter). The batting team, which is called the offensive team, attempts to score points (runs) by running around three bases while the defensive team tries to catch or throw out the batter. The first team to reach four runs wins the game.
The game of baseball has a very long regular season: from early April until the end of September, teams play 162 games – almost all of them against other teams in their division – with the goal of finishing in first place in their league and qualifying for the playoffs. In the playoffs, teams play a few games against the other division’s best teams and one wild card team from the other league to determine the winner of the World Series.
Each inning of a game in baseball starts with the batting team taking turns hitting the ball. A player on the batting team, called the batter, stands in a box known as the batter’s box and faces the pitcher. The batter then takes a turn swinging the bat at the ball that is thrown by the pitcher. If the batter hits the ball, he or she advances to the next base and so on.
In addition to being a very physical sport, baseball is also an extremely tactical and strategic game. To be successful at hitting, catching, and fielding the ball, all players must have good hand-eye coordination. This requires practicing a lot of drills, such as explosive fast-twitch exercises and quick first step drills for outfielders. Infielders should practice throwing, sliding, and reading the ball off the ground.
Pitchers try to make it difficult for batters to hit the ball by using a variety of pitches and tricks. They use fastballs, curveballs, and changeups to confuse the batter’s sense of timing. If a batter misses a pitch that would have been a home run, the umpire calls it a “baseball,” and the batter takes his or her turn at bat again.
When not playing or watching the game, fans can engage in a number of activities in the stadium. They can take in the sights and sounds of a stadium, attend a game of minor league baseball, or even play a pick-up game in a local park. Baseball has long been a popular pastime in America, and its popularity continues to rise worldwide. In a society with deep social divisions, many young men and women who organized baseball clubs in the 1850s and beyond forged powerful common ties. The game gave them a way to strengthen their occupational, ethnic, and racial identities as they worked together on teams that looked like their volunteer fire departments or militia units. In this way, baseball became a unifying force in American life. This nationalistic sentiment helped to cement the game’s position as “America’s national sport.”