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Baseball

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Baseball is a team sport that is popular in the Americas and East Asia.

A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium.

The sport is very similar to softball, and is sometimes called hardball in contrast. In its usual form, the game of baseball is played between two teams of nine players on a playing field consisting of four bases, arranged in a diagonal square ("the diamond") and a large outfield extending from two adjacent sides of the diamond. The main pieces of equipment are the baseball and the baseball bat which is used to hit the ball.

In the United States, baseball has often been called the "national pastime", and the total attendance for Major League games is more than that of all other American professional sports combined. In Japan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and several other countries, baseball is the most popular sport by any measurement. Among American television viewers, however, it has been surpassed in popularity by American football and car racing.


Gameplay

File:Baseball field overview thumbnail.png
Diagram of a baseball field.

Baseball is played between two teams of at least nine players each on a baseball field, usually under the authority of one or more officials, called umpires. There are usually four umpires in major league games; up to six may officiate depending on the league and the importance of the game. The teams take turns at bat (offense) and in the field (defense). At the start of the game, the home team fields, with all nine players on the field at once, while players on the visiting team come to bat one at a time. The field is divided into two main sections: the infield contains the four bases, and beyond two adjacent sides of the diamond there is an outfield. The other two sides of the diamond form the start of the foul lines, which extend straight, and form the boundary in the outfield as well. Numbered counter-clockwise, first, second and third bases are 15-inch (38 cm) squares, which stick up from the ground; together with home base, they form a square with sides of 90 feet (27.4 meters) in length. Home base is a pentagonal plate—known as home plate.

 
A batter follows through after swinging at a pitched ball.

The basic contest is always between the pitcher for the fielding team, and a batter. The pitcher throws, pitches, the ball towards home plate, where the catcher for the fielding team waits to receive it. The batter stands in one of the batter's boxes and tries to hit the ball with a bat. The catcher's job is to catch any ball that the batter misses or does not swing at. Each pitch is the start of a new play, although many pitches do not result in any further action.

The goal of the team at bat is to score runs; a player may do so only by batting, becoming a runner, and touching all the bases in order, finishing with home plate. To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable baserunners to score or become a baserunner himself. The batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory—between the foul lines—in such a way that the defending players cannot get him or the baserunners out. In general, the pitcher attempts to prevent this by pitching the ball in such a way that the batter cannot hit it cleanly.

As a baserunner, the objective is to advance to and touch each base in order, usually through a series of plays, and finally touch home plate. The defending team, in the meantime, tries get the baserunners out. There are many ways to get batters and baserunners out; some of the most common are catching a batted ball in the air, tag outs, force outs, and strikeouts. After the fielding team has put out three of the batting team's players, the half-inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch places.

A baserunner who successfully touches home plate after touching all previous bases in order scores a run; depending on the situation, the batter who helped him score may be credited with a run batted in. In an enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence is normally an automatic home run, which entitles the batter and all runners to touch all the bases and score. The team with the most runs at the end of the game is the winner.

Fielding team

The team in the field is the defensive team, trying to stop the team at bat from scoring. The fielding team has a pitcher, who stands on the mound, and a catcher, who squats behind home plate. This pair is often called the battery. The remaining seven fielders can be positioned anywhere in fair territory, but almost always there are four infielders, who stand at the edge of the infield, and three outfielders, who stand in the outfield.

The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward home plate with the goal of getting the batter out. A pitcher also assists fielders as necessary by fielding the ball himself, covering bases (for a potential tag out or force out on an approaching runner), or backing up throws.

The catcher's main role is to receive the pitch if the batter does not hit it. Catchers are also responsible for defense in the area immediately surrounding home plate. Together with the pitcher and coaches, the catcher plots game strategy by suggesting different pitches and by shifting the starting positions of the other fielders.

The four infielders are the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. The first and third basemen usually play near their respective bases. The second baseman and the shortstop position themselves at a roughly equal distance from second base, but play more in the gaps between the bases than the first and third baseman. As a result of this positioning, defensive skill tends to be more important for second basemen and especially shortstops. Originally, the second baseman played very close to second base, until the shortstop was developed by relocating what was previously a fourth outfielder.

The team's strongest hitter is often also their first baseman. The first baseman's job consists mostly of standing with his foot on first base and receiving the batted balls that the other infielders throw to him so that he can force out the batter-runner. The second baseman covers the area to the right of second base, and provides backup for the first baseman. The shortstop fills the critical gap between second and third bases, where right-handed batters generally hit ground balls. The shortstop must be versatile—he also covers second or third bases and the near part of left field. The third baseman's primary requirement is a strong throwing arm so that he can throw the ball all the way across the infield to the first baseman. Quick reaction time is equally important for a third baseman. Third basemen tend to see more sharply hit balls than other infielders, as they play on the side of the field where right-handed batters hit most of their hardest balls. Also, third basemen are often positioned shallower—closer to home plate—than the middle infielders, giving them less time to react to a sharply hit ball.

The three outfielders are called the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder; each position is named from the catcher's perspective. The center fielder has more territory to cover than the other two outfielders, so he must be very fast and agile, and should have a strong arm to throw balls in to the infield; as a result, teams tend to emphasize defense at that position. Also, the center fielder is considered the outfield leader and left- and right-fielders should cede to his direction when fielding a fly ball. All players in fielding positions may switch positions with one another at any time.

Pitching

File:Pitching.jpg
The pitcher's motion

Main article: Pitching

Effective pitching is vitally important to a baseball team, as pitching is the key for the defensive team to retiring batters and runners to hold the other team at bay. A full game usually involves over one hundred pitches thrown by each team, and most pitchers begin to tire before they reach this point. In many cases, multiple pitchers are depended upon in a single game including the starting pitcher and members of the bullpen (an area where pitchers warm up before they play). Pitchers are substituted for one another in the usual way (see below), and the rules do not limit the number of pitchers that can be used in a game. The pitcher's weapons are their variation of pitches, the three variables being accuracy, velocity, and movement. Most pitchers attempt to master two or more pitches.

The pitcher must keep one foot in contact with the top or side of the pitcher's rubber (which is on top of the mound) during the entire pitch, so he cannot take more than one step forward in delivering the ball. Nevertheless, the average major-league pitcher can throw the ball up to ninety miles per hour (145 km/h). The act of throwing a baseball overhand at high speed is unnatural to the body and somewhat damaging to human muscles--pitchers are very susceptible to injuries and soreness, so baseball teams always have several pitchers.

Team at bat

The ultimate goal of the team at bat is to score runs. The team at bat sends its nine players up to home plate as batters in an order called a lineup. Each team sets its batting lineup at the beginning of the game and may not change the order, except by sending in substitute players. A substitute player fills the same spot in the order as the player he replaced; however, he is not required to play the same position in the field. After the ninth player has batted, the order returns to the beginning with the first player in the lineup. Batting out of turn is not allowed.

Each player's turn at the plate is a plate appearance. When the batter hits a fair ball, he must run to first base, and may continue or stop at any base unless he is put out. A successful hit where the batter reaches only first base is a single; if he reaches second base, a double; or third base, a triple. A hit that allows the batter to touch all bases in order on the same play is a home run, whether or not the ball is hit over the fence. Once a runner is held to a base, he may attempt to advance at any time, but is not required to do so unless the batter or another runner displaces him.

Depending on the way the ball comes off the bat, the play is called something different. A batted ball is called a fly ball if it was hit in a way causing the fielder to catch it on its descent, or a line drive if it is hit in the air, but on a line. A batted ball which is not hit into the air, and which touches the ground within the infield before it can be caught, is called a ground ball.

Once the batter and any existing runners have all stopped at a base or been put out, the ball is returned to the pitcher, and the next batter comes to the plate. This continues until three outs have been recorded, at which point all runners are removed from the bases and the teams exchange sides for the next half-inning. After the opposing team bats in its own order and three more outs are recorded, the first team's batting order will continue again from where it left off.

Batting

File:Beiserebatedor.jpg
Six time MVP Barry Bonds just after swinging at a pitch (photo: Agência Brasil)

Each plate appearance consists of a series of pitches, in which the pitcher throws the ball towards home plate while a batter is standing in the batter's box. With each pitch, the batter must decide whether or not to swing the bat at the ball in an attempt to hit it. The pitches arrive fast, so the decision must be made in less then a second. This decision is largely based on whether or not the ball is in the strike zone, a region defined by the area directly above home plate and between the batter's knees and underarms. In addition to swinging at the ball, a batter who wishes to but the ball in play may hold his bat over home plate and attempt to tap a pitch very lightly; this is called a bunt.

On any pitch, if the batter swings at the ball and misses, he is charged with a strike. If the batter does not swing, the home plate umpire judges whether or not the ball passed through the strike zone. If the ball passes through the zone, it is ruled a strike; otherwise, it is declared to be a ball. The number of balls and strikes thrown to the current batter is known as the count.

If the batter swings and makes contact with the ball, but does not put it in play in fair territory—a foul ball—he is charged with a strike, except when there are already two strikes. Thus, a foul ball with two strikes leaves the count unchanged, though a ball that is bunted foul with two strikes always counts as a third strike.

On the third strike the batter is declared out, a strikeout; on the fourth ball the batter is entitled to advance to first base without risk of being put out. This is called a base on balls or walk.

If the batter puts the ball in play in fair territory, he becomes a baserunner, and must get to first base safely. A batter always drops his bat when running to first base--the bat would slow him down and also be a danger to fielders.

Running the bases

Main article: Baserunning

The goal of each batter is generally to become a baserunner himself (usually by a safe hit or a base on balls), or to help move other baserunners along. Once a batter gets a hit, a base on balls, or otherwise reaches base, he is said to be "on" that base until he attempts to advance to the next base, he is put out, or the half-inning ends. When there are baserunners on first, second, and third bases, the situation is called bases loaded.

In general, baserunning is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home to score a run. Runners on second or third base are considered to be in scoring position since a normal hit, even a single, will often score them. In addition to becoming a runner himself, a batter often wants to advance a runner into scoring position, or to "drive the runners home", allowing them to score.

A runner who is touching a base which he is entitled to occupy is "safe"--he may not be tagged out. Runners may attempt to advance from base to base on any fair ball that touches the ground. When a ball is hit in the air, a fly ball, and caught by the defending team, runners must return and touch the base they occupied at the time of the pitch— called tagging up—after the ball is caught. Once they do this, they may attempt to advance at their own risk.

 
Pick-off attempt on runner (in red) at first base

Baserunners may attempt to advance while the pitcher is throwing a pitch. The catcher—or pitcher, in lieu of delivering the pitch—often tries to prevent this by throwing the ball to one of the infielders in order to tag the runner, a pick-off attempt; if successful it is called a pick-off. If the runner attempts to advance to the next base but is tagged out before reaching it safely, he is caught stealing. A successful attempt by the runner is called a stolen base.

The standard dimensions of a baseball field, with 90 feet (27.4 m) between bases, generate many close baserunning plays. In tag plays, a good slide can affect the outcome of the play, and even a standard play at first base can occur within fractions of a second.

Innings and determining a winner

An inning consists of each team having one turn in the field and one turn to hit, with the visiting team batting before the home team. A standard game lasts nine innings, although some leagues use seven-inning games. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins. If the home team is ahead after eight-and-a-half innings have been played, it is declared the winner, and the last half-inning is not played.

If both teams have scored the same number of runs at the end of a regular-length game, a tie is avoided by the addition of extra innings. As many innings as necessary are played until one team has the lead at the end of an inning. Thus, the home team always has a chance to respond if the visiting team scores in the top half of the inning; this gives the home team a small tactical advantage.

In theory, a baseball game could go on forever; in practice, however, they eventually end. In Major League Baseball the longest game played was a 26-inning affair between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves on May 1, 1920. The game ended in a 1-1 tie called on account of darkness.

In Major League Baseball, games end with tie scores only because conditions have made it impossible to continue play. A tie game does not count as an official game in the standings unless it is finished later or replayed; however, individual player statistics from tie games are counted. Inclement weather may also shorten games, but at least five innings must be played for the game to be considered official; four-and-a-half innings are enough if the home team is ahead. Previously, curfews and the absence of adequate lighting caused more ties and shortened games.

In Japan, if the score remains tied after 9 innings, up to 3 extra innings can be played. If the game remains tied in the 12th inning, however, the game will be called a tie.

Some youth or amateur leagues will end a game early if one team is ahead by 10 or more runs, a practice known as the "mercy rule" or "slaughter rule".

Traditionally, there is a short break between the top half and the bottom half of the seventh inning, known as the seventh-inning stretch. During the "stretch", fans often sing the chorus of Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

Substitutions

Each team is allowed to substitute for any player at any time, but no player, once removed from the game, can return. However, a batter may replace another teammate when the team is at bat, and is referred to as a pinch hitter; similarly, a pinch runner may be used as a replacement for a baserunner. The above two roles are permanent substitutions.

It is common for a pitcher to pitch for several innings and then be removed in favor of a relief pitcher. Because pitching is a specialized skill, many pitchers are not good hitters, so it is common to substitute for a pitcher when he is due to bat. This pinch hitter is typically then replaced by a relief pitcher when the team returns to the field on defense, but more complicated substitutions are possible, most notably the double switch.

Many amateur leagues allow a starting player who was removed to return to the game in the same position in the batting order under the re-entry rule. Youth leagues often allow free and open substitution to encourage player participation.

Some leagues, notably Major League Baseball's American League, allow a designated hitter, a player whose sole purpose is to hit when it would normally be the pitcher's turn. This is not considered a substitution but rather a position, albeit a purely offensive one. A designated hitter does not play in the field on defense and may remain in the game regardless of changes in pitchers.

Other personnel

Each team is run by a manager, whose primary responsibility during the game is to assign players to fielding positions, determine the lineup, and decide how to substitute players. Managers are also assisted by coaches in helping players to develop their skills.

Any baseball game involves one or more umpires, who make rulings on the outcome of each play. At a minimum, one umpire will stand behind the catcher, to have a good view of the strike zone, and call each pitch a ball or a strike. Additional umpires may be stationed near the bases, thus making it easier to see plays in the field.

Another notable role in baseball is that of the official scorer. The results of baseball games are summarized in tables called box scores. The scorer is responsible for a number of judgments that go into the boxscore. For example, if a batted ball is misplayed by a fielder, the scorer may choose to charge the fielder with an error instead of crediting the batter with a hit. Within certain guidelines, the scorer also determines which pitchers are credited with winning and losing the game, and whether a relief pitcher will be awarded a save.

Playing style

Baseball has an antique, unhurried pace. Both football and basketball use a clock, and fans must often watch games end while one team degrades the competitive element of the game by killing the clock rather than competing directly against the opposing team. But baseball has no clock; a team cannot win without getting the last batter out, and a rally can start at any time.

In recent decades, observers have criticized professional baseball for the length of its games, with some justification as the time required to play a baseball game has increased steadily through the years. One hundred years ago, games typically took an hour and a half to play; today, four-hour nine-inning games are not uncommon. This is due to longer commercial breaks and a decrease in playing speed. Increased offense and more pitching changes also prolong the length of the game.

Baseball is a team game—even two or three Hall of Fame caliber players cannot guarantee a pennant by themselves. In the last years of the 20th century, a trend toward building teams based on a more even distribution of talent throughout the lineup became noticeable. The Seattle Mariners and the Florida Marlins were two teams that began moving away from the previous belief in building teams around superstars. The Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane general uses this practice, and his teams have been continually successful in the regular season. Team salary caps led to the decision by many owners to pay more solid players decent money rather than surrounding one or two expensive superstars with a below-average set of teammates. It remains to be seen if this strategy will be successful.

Paradoxically, the game places individual players under great pressure and scrutiny one at a time. The pitcher must make a good pitch or suffer reproach; he may not pass it to another player. The hitter has a mere fraction of a second to make a choice and then swing the bat; no one can help him while he bats. If the batter hits a line drive, the outfielder, as the last line of defense, makes a lonely decision to try to catch it or play it on the bounce. Baseball history is full of heroes and goats—men who in the heat of the moment distinguished themselves with a timely hit or catch, or an untimely strikeout or error.

A leisurely game on the surface (some would say boring), baseball is sudden and quick beneath. Baseball requires skill and athleticism, but also has a depth of strategy and anticipation which often goes unrecognized by those less familiar with the sport.

Statistics

Main article: Baseball statistics

As with many sports, and perhaps even moreso, statistics are very important to baseball. Statistics have been kept for the Major Leagues since their creation, and presumably statistics were around even before that. General managers and baseball scouts study player statistics to decide what players to try to get for their team. Managers, catchers and pitchers study statistics of batters on opposing teams to figure out how best to pitch to them. Managers and batters study opposing pitchers to figure out how best to hit them. Managers often base their decisions during the game on statistics, such as choosing who to put in the lineup, or which relief pitcher to bring in.

Traditionally, statistics like batting average for batters—the number of hits divided by the number of at bats—and earned run average—approximately the number of runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings—have governed the statistical world of baseball. However, the advent of sabermetrics has brought an onslaught of new statistics that better gauge a player's performance and contributions to his team from year to year.

Some sabermetrics have entered the mainstream baseball statistic world. On-base plus slugging is a somewhat complicated formula that gauges a hitter's performance better than batting average. It combines the hitter's on base percentage—hits plus walks plus times hit by pitches divided by plate appearances—with their slugging percentage—total bases divided by at bats. Walks plus hits per inning pitched gives a good representation of a pitcher's abilities, it is calculated exactly as its name suggests.

Also important are all of those statistics in certain situations. For example, a certain hitter's ability to hit left-handed pitchers might cause his manager to give him more chances to face lefties. Some hitters hit better with runners in scoring position, and the manager of the fielding team might simply elect to intentionally walk him and face a worse hitter.

History

Main article: History of Baseball

Baseball is thought to be a direct descendant of cricket, rounders, and town ball, though the game's origins are uncertain. Alexander Cartwright published his first list of rules in 1845 to meet the demands of the popular sport, and today's rules of baseball have continually evolved from them.

After professional baseball began around 1865, the National League was founded in 1876, and professional baseball began to take off. Several other leagues formed and failed. The American League, formed in 1893 as the Western League, however, did succeed. While rivals who fought for the best players, the two major leagues began playing a World Series in 1903. The early part of the century has now become known as the "Dead-ball era", as games were lower scoring, and pitchers more successful.

The 1920s marked the end of the dead ball era, with several new rules giving advantages to hitters, and the rise of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who showed the world what power hitting could produce.

In America, after a "gentlemen's agreement" had barred non-white players from the major leagues, Negro Leagues had formed. Finally in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and entered the National League to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although it was not instantaneous, baseball has since become fully integrated.

The middle of the century led baseball to the west of the United States, and also became a time when pitchers dominated. Scoring became so low in the American League due to pitching dominance, that they implemented the Designated hitter rule, a rule now thought to be one of the main differences between the leagues.

Despite the popularity of baseball, the players became unsatisifed as they believed the owners had too much control. which baseball fans were very annoyed at for them doing so. A series of strikes and lockouts began in baseball, even cutting into the season in 1972 and 1981 culminating in the infamous strike in 1994, which led to the cancellation of the World Series, and the popularity of baseball diminished greatly. Slowly events started bringing back fans, especially the home run race of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Since then baseball has enjoyed another surge in popularity in America.

International baseball had been played sparingly since the 1870s. Professional baseball leagues began to form in countries outside of America in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Netherlands, Japan, and Australia. The whole of Europe, Italy and Korea all have leagues as well.

International Baseball Federation

Founded in 1938, the International Baseball Federation is in charge of the Baseball World Cup, the World Championships, and the Baseball Olympic Tournament. This organization has 112 member countries and therefore provides competitions that are truly global and international compared to the "World Series." Cuba has held the Baseball World Cup title for at least twenty-three times.

Equipment and clothing

  • Bat: A rounded, solid wooden or hollow aluminum bat. Wooden bats are traditionally made from ash wood, though maple is also sometimes used. Aluminum bats are not permitted in professional leagues, but are frequently used in amateur leagues.
  • Ball: A cork sphere, tightly wound with layers of yarn or string and covered with a stitched leather coat.
  • Mitt: Leather glove worn by players in the field. Long fingers and a webbed "pocket" between the thumb and first finger allow the fielder to catch the ball more easily.
  • Catcher's mitt: Leather glove worn by catchers. Generally larger and better-padded than the standard fielder's mitt.
  • Batting glove: Glove often worn on one or both hands by the batter. Offers additional grip and eliminates the shock when making contact with the ball.
  • Hat: Baseball cap worn by all players. Designed to shade the eyes from the sun, this hat design has become popular with the general public.
  • Batting helmet: Helmet worn by batter to protect the head and the ear facing the pitcher from the ball.
  • Catcher's helmet: Protective helmet with face guard worn by the catcher.
  • Uniform: Shirt and pants worn by all players. Each team generally has a unique pattern of colors and designs.
  • Athletic supporter and cup: A hard plastic shell which protects the genitals from injury. The "cup supporter" (also known as a jockstrap or jock) is a special undergarment designed to hold the cup in place without restricting movement.
  • Sliding shorts: Padded support shorts sometimes worn to protect the thighs when the player slides into the bases.
  • Spikes: Baseball shoes have spikes to increase traction on dirt and grass. Different levels of competition may allow different types of spikes. For example, Major League Baseball allows metal spikes to be worn while lower levels of competition (such as T-Ball or beginner baseball) may only allow plastic spikes. Baserunners will often use the spikes to their advantage by executing an aggressive slide by sliding feet first towards the fielder, intimidating them with the goal of breaking up a double play. Spikes are also sometimes referred to as cleats.

See also

History

Culture

Organized leagues

Statistics and lists

References

  • Joe Brinkman and Charlie Euchner, The Umpire's Handbook, rev. ed. (1987)
  • Bill James and John Dewan, Bill James Presents the Great American Baseball Stat Book, ed. by Geoff Beckman et al. (1987)
  • Robert Peterson, Only the Ball Was White (1970, reprinted 1984)
  • Joseph L. Reichler (ed.), The Baseball Encyclopedia, 7th rev. ed. (1988). (since 1871)
  • Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig, The Image of Their Greatness: An Illustrated History of Baseball from 1900 to the Present, updated ed. (1984)
  • Lawrence S. Ritter (comp.), The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It, new ed. (1984)
  • David Quentin Voigt, Baseball, an Illustrated History (1987)
  • Jeff MacGregor, The New Electoral Sex Symbol: Nascar Dad, The New York Times (January 18, 2004)
  • Michael Mandelbaum, The Meaning of Sports, (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1).
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