Baseball

Baseball is often called America’s “national pastime” — it has been deeply woven into American culture since the mid-1800s. It is also enormously popular in Japan, South Korea, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

The Big Picture

Two teams of 9 players alternate between batting (trying to score) and fielding (trying to prevent scoring). A game consists of 9 innings. The team with the most runs at the end wins.

Baseball is slower and more strategic than most sports — it’s as much about statistics, tension, and anticipation as it is about explosive action.

The Field

The field is a diamond shape with 4 bases:

Home plate — where the batter stands and where runs are scored
1st base — 90 feet from home plate (to the right)
2nd base — directly across from home plate
3rd base — 90 feet from home plate (to the left)

Beyond the infield is the outfield — open grass where fly balls land. A fence marks the boundary; a ball hit over it is a home run.

The Core Mechanic: Pitching and Hitting

The pitcher throws the ball toward home plate
The batter tries to hit it
If the batter hits it into fair territory, they run to first base (and beyond, if possible)
Fielders try to catch or retrieve the ball and throw runners out

Strikes and Balls:

A strike is called when the batter swings and misses, or when the ball passes through the “strike zone” without being swung at
A ball is called when the pitch misses the strike zone and the batter doesn’t swing
3 strikes = the batter is out (strikeout)
4 balls = the batter walks (advances to first base for free)

Scoring a Run

A run scores when a player advances around all four bases and touches home plate.

Outs

Each team gets 3 outs per inning (half-inning). Ways to make an out:

Strikeout — 3 strikes
Fly out — a fielder catches the ball in the air before it lands
Ground out — a fielder fields a ground ball and throws to first base before the runner arrives
Tag out — a fielder tags a runner with the ball while they’re not on a base

The MLB

The Major League Baseball (MLB) is the top professional league:

30 teams split between the American League (AL) and National League (NL)
Regular season: April – September (162 games)
Postseason: October (called the World Series — the championship; best of 7 games)

Famous teams: New York Yankees (most World Series titles), Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals

Legendary players:

Babe Ruth — the “Sultan of Swat”; 714 home runs
Willie Mays — considered the greatest all-around player ever
Hank Aaron — broke Babe Ruth’s home run record
Derek Jeter — Yankees icon; 5-time World Series champion
Shohei Ohtani — Japanese star who pitches AND hits at elite level simultaneously

Baseball and Culture

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” — sung during the 7th-inning stretch at every game
Statistics culture — baseball fans are obsessed with stats; it spawned sabermetrics
Hot dogs and beer — quintessential ballpark food
Baseball metaphors permeate American English: “hit it out of the park,” “step up to the plate,” “ballpark figure,” “curveball,” “out of left field”