Just in case there is someone who needs to know how America’s favorite pastime is played here is the definition.  A team of nine players takes the field; another team of nine is waiting to bat.  The object of the game is to hit a small leather-covered ball pitched by the pitcher and hit with a tapered, cylindrical bat.  In the Major Leagues, the bat is made of wood, but other materials are used in other levels of the sport.  The batter tries to hit the ball and run the bases to score a run.  If there is a runner on base already, he is credited with an RBI or however many runners his bat allows to come in to score.

There are four bases and the runner runs clockwise around the bases.  The game is divided into innings and nine are played in a regulation game.  If the score is tied, the game can go into extra innings.  The innings are divided into the top half and the bottom half of the inning.  The home team bats second so they bat in the bottom half of every inning.  A half-inning is completed when three players record an out for the team at bat.  This could be a strike out, where the batter swings three times at the ball and misses it.  It could be a ground out, a ball that is hit on the ground and the opposite team throws it to a base for an out.  It can also be a fly ball out; the ball is batted and caught in midair by a player on the opposite team.

The United States has two Major Leagues, the American and National League.  They are then divided into three divisions, the East, West, and Central division.  The culmination of the season is when a National League team and an American League team meet in the World Series.  The name World Series is a little misleading, there are only teams from North and South America involved in these games.  Teams make the play-offs of the World Series by being one of the three division leaders or a wild card from each League.  The one winner of those play-offs goes to the World Series.

The rules are only slightly different between the National League and the American League.  The pitcher is not needed to bat in the American League, so a 10th player is used called a designated hitter.  The National League pitchers face their opposing pitchers and take their own at-bat.  Each major league team has a farm system.  Young players not ready for the big leagues play competitively against other farm league teams to help prepare them for their start in the big leagues.

Baseball began in the United States in the 1860’s.  The first professional baseball club was the Cincinnati Red Stockings.  They are known now as the Cincinnati Reds.  They played other semipro or amateur teams until the first major league association was founded in 1876.  The World Series was first played in 1903.

The game is much different now with scores being higher and the batters better hitters.  In the early days, the pitchers were more successful and most teams had to scratch for runs.  Plus, the game was played more aggressively than it is today.  In the 1920’s the rules were changed that gave an advantage to batters and the age of great batters arrived.  Babe Ruth and his powerful bat changed the game forever.  Two rules that changed baseball was to move the outfield fence in closer to the infield and a strict rule about the size, shape, and the construction of the baseball.  With moving the fence, and the uniform construction of the game ball, the world of baseball was changed forever.

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