Baseball game

Baseball is a sport played by two teams of nine players each who take turns batting and fielding. The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs". The objective of the defensive team (fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases.

History

The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision. A French manuscript from 1344 contains an illustration of clerics playing a game, possibly la soule, with similarities to baseball. Other old French games such as thèque, la balle au bâton, and la balle empoisonnée also appear to be related.

Rules and gameplay

Baseball is played between two teams with nine players in the field from the team that is not batting at that point (the fielding team). The other team (the batting team) tries to score runs by hitting the ball that is thrown by the pitcher with a bat swung by the batter, then running counter-clockwise around a series of four bases: first, second, third, and home plate. A run is scored when a player advances around the bases and returns to home plate.

Equipment

The basic equipment of baseball is a baseball, a baseball bat, baseball glove, and baseball uniform. Other equipment, worn by the catcher, includes a catcher's mask, catcher's mitt, and catcher's chest protector.

Strategy

The strategic aspects of baseball can be divided into offensive and defensive strategies. Both the offensive team and the defensive team make use of various strategies to win the game.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players
• Baseball statistics
• Baseball awards
• Baseball positions
• Baseball field
• Baseball rules