Baseball

H

Fielding

If the batter hits the ball, fielders have opportunities to prevent the batter from reaching a base safely, known as putting the batter out. For example, a batter is ruled out if a fielder catches a batted ball before it hits the ground, in foul or fair territory. A batter is also out if a fielder holding the ball tags the batter or tags first base before the batter can reach it. Fielders often retrieve the ball from where it is hit and throw it to the player covering first base, who tags the base. If the batter reaches first base safely, however, fielders have additional opportunities to put players out and prevent a run. If a runner occupies a base to which a subsequent batter or runner must advance, runners are forced to move to the next base. In a force, fielders can put the runner out by tagging the base before the runner reaches it. If there is no force—that is, if there is no runner approaching from the preceding base—fielders must tag the runner out.

If fielders put two runners out in one play, it is called a double play. If they put three runners out in one play, it is called a triple play. A typical double play occurs when the batter hits the ball on the ground in the infield. As the runner tries to advance from first base to second base, an infielder gets the ball, steps on second base to force out the base runner, and quickly throws the ball to the player covering first base to put out the batter. A triple play is relatively rare in baseball.

I

Scoring

A runner scores by successfully moving around all the bases and crossing home plate without being put out. Scoring is usually the result of a combination of base hits, walks, or sacrifices; skillful baserunning; or errors by the defensive team. Sometimes the batter circles the bases on one hit. This is known as a home run. A batter usually scores a home run by hitting the ball over the outfield fence. On rare occasions, however, the batter may round all four bases without hitting the ball over the fence. This play is known as an inside-the-park home run. If there are base runners at the time the home run is hit, those players also round the bases and score. If there are base runners on all three bases when the batter hits a home run, the team at bat scores four runs, and the play is called a grand slam.

III

Organized Baseball

Baseball is played in organized leagues throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other countries. An organized league can be defined as a group of teams that play one another regularly and adhere to an official set of rules. In professional baseball, players receive payment for their play. Professional baseball includes the major leagues and the minor leagues. Amateur baseball, in which players are not paid, includes most other leagues, such as Little League, high school, and university competition as well as various community leagues. Softball, a sport similar to baseball, is also played in leagues throughout the United States.

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A

The Major Leagues

Major league baseball represents the highest level of baseball competition in North America. It includes teams from the United States and Canada. The major leagues are divided into the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The teams of each league are grouped into three divisions within their league. In both the NL and AL, the divisions are called the East Division, the Central Division, and the West Division.

In the National League, the East Division consists of the Atlanta Braves, the Florida Marlins, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals. The Central Division consists of the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals. The West Division consists of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants.

In the American League, the East Division consists of the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Central Division consists of the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals, and the Minnesota Twins. The West Division consists of the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Athletics, the Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers.

B

The Major League Season

The major league baseball season lasts from April (or late March) to October and includes the regular season, the playoffs, and the World Series. Teams play 162 games during the regular season. The team with the most victories in each division becomes the division winner and earns the right to compete in the playoffs. The team with the best record in each league after the division winners also is included in the playoffs as a wild-card team.

Each league holds a separate playoff, featuring their three division winners and the wild-card team. These teams are paired and face each other in a series of games. The teams that win the most games in a series earn the right to move on to the next round of playoffs. The final series in the league playoffs determines which team wins the pennant, or championship, of their league. The NL and AL pennant winners meet in the World Series, and the winner of this series becomes the major league world champion.

The major leagues also hold an annual competition called the All-Star Game, which matches a team of NL players against a team of AL players. Baseball fans select the starting players in the game. It takes place during the All-Star break, a period in the middle of the regular season during which teams temporarily rest from competition.