Baseball
A bat-and-ball sport with nine players per team.
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game unfolds through a series of plays, each beginning when a pitcher throws a ball toward a batter, who attempts to hit it with a bat. The offensive team aims to hit the ball into the field away from defenders, allowing its players to run counterclockwise around four bases—first, second, third, and home plate—to score runs. The defensive team works to prevent batters from becoming runners and to stop runners from advancing. A run is scored when a runner legally touches all four bases in order and returns to home plate. The batting team’s initial goal is to get a player safely to first base, either by hitting the ball and reaching the base before a fielder retrieves it and touches the base, or by the pitcher throwing the ball out of the batter’s reach. Runners who reach first base without being called out may advance to subsequent bases during their own or teammates’ turns at bat. The fielding team records outs by striking out a batter with three pitches, catching a batted ball before it lands, or tagging a runner with the ball while they are not on a base. Teams switch between batting and fielding after three outs; one turn batting for each team constitutes an inning. A standard game has nine innings, with extra innings played if the score is tied. Baseball has no game clock, though some competitions use pace-of-play rules like a pitch clock. The sport evolved from older bat-and-ball games played in England by the mid-18th century and was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. Its American origins and role as escapism during the Civil War and Great Depression earned it the nickname “America’s Pastime,” and it has been unofficially recognized as the national sport of the United States since the late 19th century, though it is now less popular than American football. Baseball spread across the Americas and Asia-Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries and is now most popular in parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, especially Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Major League Baseball (MLB), teams are divided into the National and American Leagues, each with East, West, and Central divisions, with the champion determined by playoffs culminating in the World Series. Japan and Cuba hav
- origin
- England (mid-18th century)
- modern development
- North America
- players per team
- 9
- innings per game
- 9 (typically)
- governing body
- World Baseball Softball Confederation
- major leagues
- Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US and Canada
Quick Facts
- Union
- World Baseball Softball Confederation
- First
- 18th-century England (predecessors) / 19th-century United States (modern version)
- Venue
- Baseball park / Baseball field
- Glossary
- Glossary of baseball terms
- Region
- Worldwide (most prominent in the Americas and East Asia)
- Contact
- Tagging-only
- Equipment
- Baseball / Baseball bat / Baseball glove / Batting helmet / Catcher's gear
- Team
- 9 baseball players: / pitcher / catcher / first baseman / second baseman / third baseman / shortstop / left fielder / center fielder / right fielder
- Mgender
- Yes, separate competitions
- Category
- Bat-and-ball
- Olympic
- Demonstration sport: 1912, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1984 and 1988 / Medal sport: 1992–2008, 2020
- Iwga
- 1981
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport contested between two teams of nine players each, alternating between batting and fielding. The game unfolds through a series of plays, each beginning when the pitcher throws a ball toward the batter, who attempts to hit it with a bat. The batting team’s goal is to hit the ball into fair territory, away from fielders, allowing runners to advance counter-clockwise around four bases—first, second, third, and home plate—to score runs. A run is scored when a runner legally touches all bases in order and returns to home plate. The fielding team aims to prevent this by recording outs, such as striking out the batter with three strikes, catching a batted ball before it hits the ground, or tagging a runner with the ball while off a base. Teams switch roles after three outs, with each turn at bat for both sides constituting an inning. Games typically consist of nine innings, though extra innings are played if the score is tied; there is no game clock, though some competitions use a pitch clock to regulate pace. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games played in England by the mid-18th century, brought to North America by immigrants, where the modern version developed. Its American origins and role as escapism during the Civil War and Great Depression earned it the nickname “America’s Pastime,” and it has been unofficially recognized as the U.S. national sport since the late 19th century. The sport spread across the Americas and Asia-Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming most popular in parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, especially Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Major League Baseball, the highest professional level in the U.S. and Canada, teams are split into the National and American Leagues, each with East, West, and Central divisions, with the champion determined by playoffs culminating in the World Series. Similar league structures exist in Japan and Cuba. The World Baseball Classic is the major international competition, and baseball was an Olympic sport from 1992 to 2008, returning for the 2020 Games.
Reader's Guide
Baseball's significance lies in its status as a historically important sport in the United States, where it was unofficially recognized as the national sport from the late 19th century. It spread throughout the Americas and Asia-Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming the most popular sport in parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The highest professional level in the US and Canada is Major League Baseball, divided into the National and American Leagues, each with three divisions. The sport has no game clock, though some competitions use pace-of-play regulations like a pitch clock.
Did You Know?
- A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the four bases in order and touches home plate.
- The pitcher can get a batter out by throwing three pitches that result in strikes.
- A game is usually composed of nine innings, but extra innings are played if the score is tied.
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