Baseball

Baseball, often called America's pastime, is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each. The objective is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and then running around a series of four bases arranged in a diamond shape. The game consists of innings, with each team taking turns batting and fielding. In a standard game, there are nine innings, although extra innings can be played if the score is tied at the end of regulation. The pitcher from the fielding team throws the ball towards the batter from a raised mound at the center of the diamond. The batter attempts to hit the ball into play and advance around the bases. If the batter successfully hits the ball and reaches base, they become a base runner. The defensive team, consisting of players spread across the field, tries to prevent the batting team from scoring by catching the batted balls, throwing them to bases, or tagging runners out. The fielding team can also get batters out by striking them out—three strikes result in an out—or by catching the ball before it hits the ground after being hit (a flyout) or before it reaches a base (a forceout). Scoring occurs when a base runner successfully advances around all four bases and returns to home plate. Each completed circuit around the bases scores one run for the batting team. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.