Baseball is a team sport involving 2 teams of 9 (sometimes 10) players. The objective of the game is to score more runs than the opposing team. Each separate game is played between two teams that take turns playing on offense (hitting the ball (the batter)) and defense (pitching the ball (the pitcher)). A point is scored when the player from the attacking team runs after hitting the ball, passing through all the bases in turn, placed at the corners of the square field with 90 feet (27.4 meters) edges.
The game consists of periods called innings, in each of which the teams take turns playing once on offense and once on defense. Typically, the game consists of 9 innings. In case of a tie, additional innings are played at the end of the last inning. A baseball game cannot end in a tie, additional innings are played until a winner is determined.
Basic Terms:
Run – a point in baseball. Scored when the player from the attacking team has passed through all the bases and reached the home base.
Hit – a hit in which the batter has reached at least first base.
Home Run – a situation in baseball where the batter and the runners on the bases complete a full circuit around the bases and reach the home base (i.e., finish the run). As a result of the Home Run, 1 (bases unoccupied) to 4 points (all three bases occupied) can be scored.
Out – a successful defensive act in which the player from the attacking team who hit the ball fails to reach first base. It can be a strikeout (the bat does not touch the ball when the batter attempts to hit, and it’s their third mistake), a flyout (catching the fly ball before it touches the ground), a groundout (the defender took the ball to the base before the batter arrived there), and various other types. Each batting continues until there are three outs; in one inning, there can be six outs.
Error – a statistical error that the fielding player is charged with due to a bad play (lack of skill, fumbles, or bad throw) allowing the batter to play and the runners to stay on the bases for a longer period of time or allowing the runner to advance one or more bases.
