A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri.

Picture of Fenway Park. Part of the "Green Monster" can be seen on the right side of this picture.

Picture of a baseball player's throwing motion.

Baseball is a sport played between two teams usually of nine players each. It is a bat-and-ball game in which a pitcher throws (pitches) a hard, fist-sized, leather-covered ball toward a batter on the opposing team. The batter attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered cylindrical bat, made of wood (as required in professional baseball) or a variety of other materials (as allowed in many nonprofessional games). A team scores runs only when batting, by advancing its players--primarily via hits, walks, and the opposition team's fielding errors--counterclockwise past a series of three markers called bases and touching home plate arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or "diamond." The game, played without time restriction, is structured around nine segments called innings. In each inning, both teams are given the opportunity to bat and score runs; a team's half-inning ends when three outs are recorded against that team. Look up baseball in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links Busch_stadium. ... Image File history File links Busch_stadium. ... Busch Memorial Stadium, or Busch Stadium was the home of the St. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Fenway Park, 1989, by Rick Dikeman File links The following pages link to this file: Fenway Park Baseball parks Categories: GFDL images | NowCommons ... Fenway Park, 1989, by Rick Dikeman File links The following pages link to this file: Fenway Park Baseball parks Categories: GFDL images | NowCommons ... “Fenway” redirects here. ... The Green Monster in 2006, showing the manual scoreboard and Green Monster seating, and more recent additions, including charity advertisements along the top, billboards above the Green Monster seating, and the American League East standings. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Womens Australian rules football is a team sport. ... Bat and Ball Games are games that are played using a wooden bat and a ball. ... A baseball pitcher delivers the ball to home plate In baseball, pitching is the act of throwing the baseball from the pitchers mound toward the catcher with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to make contact with it, or draw a walk. ... The typical motion of a pitcher In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. ... A baseball ball A baseball is a ball used primarily in the sport of the same name, baseball. ... Barry Bonds batting Photo:Agência Brasil In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for ones team. ... Four historically significant baseball bats showcased in the National Baseball Hall of Fames traveling exhibit Baseball As America. ... Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. ... Bengie Molina of the Anaheim Angels (in gray and red) scores a run by touching home plate after rounding all the bases. ... In Major League Baseball history, Ty Cobb had a record 4,191 hits by 1928; Pete Rose would surpass it 57 years later, and finish with 4,256 career hits. ... Rashad Eldridge of the Oklahoma Redhawks walks to first base after drawing a base on balls. ... In baseball, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance should have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder. ... A clockwise motion is one that proceeds like the clocks hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top. ... The baseball diamond of the San Diego Padres PETCO Park, seen from the stands. ... Home plate is the final base in baseball and related games that a player must touch to score. ... The baseball diamond of the San Diego Padres PETCO Park, seen from the stands. ... An innings, or inning, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. ... In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. ...

Baseball on the professional, amateur, and youth levels is popular in North America, Central America, parts of South America, parts of the Caribbean, and East Asia. The modern version of the game developed in North America beginning in the eighteenth century. The consensus of historians is that it evolved from earlier bat-and-ball games, such as rounders, brought to the continent by British and Irish immigrants. By the late nineteenth century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States. The game is sometimes referred to as hardball in contrast to the very similar game of softball. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... East Asia Geographic East Asia. ... Rounders (Irish: cluiche corr) is a sport which originated in Great Britain and Ireland. ... Map of the World showing the most popular sports by nation. ... This is a list of sports similar to baseball. ... Soft ball is also a sugar stage Softball is a team sport, in which a ball, eleven to twelve inches (or rarely, 16 inches) (28 to 30. ...

In North America, professional Major League Baseball teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL). Each league has three divisions: East, West, and Central. Every year, the champion of Major League Baseball is determined by playoffs culminating in the World Series. Four teams make the playoffs from each league: the three regular season division winners, plus one wild card team. The wild card is the team with the best record among the non–division winners in the league. In the National League, the pitcher is required to bat, per the traditional rules. In the American League, there is a tenth player, a designated hitter, who bats for the pitcher. Each major league team has a "farm system" of minor league teams at various levels. These teams allow younger players to develop as players gain on-field experience against opponents with similar levels of skill. North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ... The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ... A playoff in sports (North American professional sports in particular) is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion, or a similar accolade. ... For other events named World Series, see World Series (disambiguation). ... In North American professional sports leagues, the term wild card refers to a team that qualifies for the championship playoffs without winning their specific subdivision (usually called a conference or division) outright. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... A farm team, or farm club, generally refers to a minor league baseball league in the United States which are at a lower pay level and play in smaller cities and towns than do Major League Baseball, and which are under the control of the two major leagues and are...

History of baseball

Main article: History of baseball

This is a list of seasons of Major League Baseball. ... Wikipedia has a number of articles about the history of baseball: Origins of baseball History of baseball in the United States History of baseball outside the United States Baseball in the United Kingdom 1845 to 1868 in baseball Pre-1850s in baseball London Tecumsehs (and origins of baseball in Canada...

Origins of baseball

Main article: Origins of baseball

The distinct evolution of baseball from among the various bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision. While there has been general agreement that modern baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, the 2006 book Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, argues against that notion.^[1] Several references to "baseball" and "bat-and-ball" have been found in British and American documents of the early eighteenth century.^[2] The earliest known description is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, by John Newbery. It contains a wood-cut illustration of boys playing "base-ball," showing a baseball set-up roughly similar to the modern game, and a rhymed description of the sport. The earliest known unambiguous American discussion of "baseball" was published in a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, town bylaw that prohibited the playing of the game within 80 yards (70 m) of the town's new meeting house.^[3] The English novelist Jane Austen made a reference to children playing "base-ball" on a village green in her book Northanger Abbey, which was written between 1798 and 1803 (though not published until 1818). Little is known about the origin of baseball. ... Rounders (Irish: cluiche corr) is a sport which originated in Great Britain and Ireland. ... Pittsfield redirects here. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For films named Northanger Abbey, see Northanger Abbey (1986 film). ...

The first full documentation of a baseball game in North America is Dr. Adam Ford's contemporary description of a game that took place in 1838 on June 4 (Militia Muster Day) in Beachville, Ontario, Canada; this report was related in an 1886 edition of Sporting Life magazine in a letter by former St. Marys, Ontario, resident Dr. Matthew Harris. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright of New York City led the codification of an early list of rules (the so-called Knickerbocker Rules), from which today's have evolved. He had also initiated the replacement of the soft ball used in rounders with a smaller hard ball.^[4] While there are reports of Cartwright's club, the New York Knickerbockers, playing games in 1845, the game now recognized as the first in U.S. history to be officially recorded took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the "New York Nine" defeating the Knickerbockers, 23–1, in four innings. is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government - Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... St. ... Alexander Cartwright. ... The so-called Knickerbocker Rules were the 20 general guidelines to the rules of the game of baseball and of the organization itself that drew up those rules: The early 1840s New York ball club called the Knickerbockers. ... The New York Knicks (or New York Knickerbockers) are a National Basketball Association team based in New York, New York. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Map of New Jersey highlighting Hoboken Image of Hoboken taken by NASA (red line shows where Hoboken is). ...

History of baseball in the United States

Main article: History of baseball in the United States

Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States in the 1860s; in 1869, the first fully professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semipro and amateur teams. By the following decade, American newspapers were referring to baseball as the "National Pastime" or "National Game." The first attempt at forming a "major league" was the National Association, which lasted from 1871 to 1875. The "major league" status of the NA is in dispute among present-day baseball historians, and Major League Baseball does not include the NA among the major leagues. The National League, which still exists, was founded in 1876 in response to the NA's shortcomings. Several other major leagues formed and failed, but the American League, which evolved from the minor Western League (1893) and was established in 1901 as a major league, succeeded. The two leagues were initially rivals that actively fought for the best players, often disregarding one another's contracts and engaging in bitter legal disputes. A modicum of peace was established in 1903, and the World Series was inaugurated that fall. The next year, however, the National League champion New York Giants did not participate as their manager, John McGraw, refused to recognize the major league status of the American League and its champion, the Boston Americans. The following year, McGraw relented and the Giants played the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. // 1886 baseball demonstration at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ... The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), or simply the National Association (NA), was founded in 1871 and lasted through the 1875 season. ... Whether to cover the National Association as a major league is a recurring and crucial matter of difference in historical work on American baseball —that is, among historians, encyclopedists, database builders, and others who work on the facts of baseball history on the playing field. ... The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ... For other events named World Series, see World Series (disambiguation). ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885–1957) New York Gothams (1883–1885) Other nicknames Jints, Gigantes, G-Men Ballpark AT... John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873–February 25, 1934), nicknamed Little Napoleon and Muggsy, was a Major League Baseball player and manager. ... The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Boston, Massachusetts. ... There have been three professional baseball teams based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania known as the Philadelphia Athletics: 1. ...

Compared with the present day, games in the early part of the 20th century were lower scoring and pitchers were more successful. The "inside game", whose nature was to "scratch for runs", was played more violently and aggressively than it is today. Ty Cobb said of his era especially, "Baseball is something like a war!" This period, which has since become known as the "dead-ball era", ended in the 1920s with several rule changes that gave advantages to hitters and the rise of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who showed the world what power hitting could produce, altering the nature of the game. Two of the changes introduced were a move to bring the outfield fences closer to the infield in the largest parks, and an introduction of extremely strict rules governing the size, shape and construction of the ball, causing it to travel farther when hit; the aggregate result of these two changes was to enable batters to hit many more home runs. Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was a Hall of Fame baseball player and is regarded by historians and journalists[2][3] as the best player of the dead-ball era and as one of the greatest players of all time. ... Ebbets Field in 1913 The dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 (though some date it to the beginning of baseball) and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1920. ... This article is about the pitcher and outfielder. ...

In 1884, African American Moses Walker (and, briefly, his brother Welday) had played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the major league American Association. An injury ended Walker's major league career, and by the early 1890s, a "gentlemen's agreement" in the form of the baseball color line effectively barred African-American players from the majors and their affiliated minor leagues, resulting in the formation of several Negro Leagues. The first crack in the agreement occurred in 1946, when Jackie Robinson was signed by the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor league team in Montreal. Finally, in 1947, the major leagues' color barrier was broken when Robinson debuted with the Dodgers. Although the transformation was not instantaneous, baseball has since become fully integrated. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Moses Fleetwood Walker Moses Fleetwood Fleet Walker (October 7, 1857 in Mount Pleasant, Ohio - May 11, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio) was a baseball player and author who is credited with being the first African-American to play professional baseball at the major league level. ... The Toledo Blue Stockings were a minor league baseball team which formed in Toledo, Ohio in 1883. ... The American Association (AA) was a baseball major league from 1882 to 1891. ... The baseball color line was the policy, unwritten for nearly its entire duration, which excluded African American baseball players from organized baseball in the United States before 1946. ... Part of the History of baseball series. ... Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. ... The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team that played from 1890-1957. ... Children at a parade in North College Hill, Ohio Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation). ...

Major League baseball finally made it to the West Coast of the United States in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively. The first American League team on the West Coast was the Los Angeles Angels, who were founded as an expansion team in 1961. Major league affiliations National League (1890–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 4, 19, 20, 24, 32, 39, 42, 53 Name Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1957) Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-1912) Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1910), (1913) Brooklyn Grooms... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885–1957) New York Gothams (1883–1885) Other nicknames Jints, Gigantes, G-Men Ballpark AT...

Pitchers dominated the game in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the early 1970s the designated hitter (DH) rule was proposed. The American League adopted this rule in 1973, though pitchers still bat for themselves in the National League to this day. The DH rule now constitutes the primary difference between the two leagues. This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ...

Despite the popularity of baseball, and the attendant high salaries relative to those of average Americans, the players have become dissatisfied from time to time, as they believed the owners had too much control and retained an unfair share of the money. Various job actions have occurred throughout the game's history. Players on specific teams occasionally attempted strikes, but usually came back when their jobs were sufficiently threatened. The throwing of the 1919 World Series, the "Black Sox scandal", was in some sense a "strike" or at least a rebellion by the ballplayers against a perceived stingy owner. But the strict rules of baseball contracts tended to keep the players "in line" in general. The 1919 World Series was played between the Chicago White Sox of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. ... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ...

This began to change in 1966 when former United Steelworkers chief economist (and assistant to the president) Marvin Miller became the Baseball Players Union executive director. The union became much stronger than it had been previously, especially when the reserve clause was effectively nullified in the mid-1970s. Conflicts between owners and the players' union led to major work stoppages in 1972, 1981, and 1994. The 1994 baseball strike led to the cancellation of the World Series, and was not settled until the spring of 1995. During this period, as well, many of the functions — such as player discipline and umpire supervision — and regulations that had been administered separately by the two major leagues' administrations were united under the rubric of Major League Baseball. The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (United Steelworkers or USW) claims over 1. ... Marvin Julian Miller (born April 14, 1917 in The Bronx, New York City) is the former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 - 1982. ... The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union of professional major-league baseball players. ... The 1994 baseball strike resulted in the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ...

1995 was the year Cal Ripken, Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record. The number of home runs increased dramatically after the strike. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both broke Roger Maris's long-standing single season home run record in 1998. In 2001, Barry Bonds established the current record of 73 home runs in a single season. In 2007, Bonds became MLB's all-time home run leader, surpassing Hank Aaron's total of 755. Even though all three sluggers (McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds) have been accused in the steroid-abuse scandal of the mid-2000s, their feats did do a lot at the time to bolster the game's renewed popularity. Cal Ripken redirects here. ... Henry Louis (Lou) Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941), born Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig, was an American baseball player in the first half of the twentieth century. ... Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963 in Pomona, California) is a former professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the Oakland Athletics before finishing his final years with the St. ... Samuel Sammy Sosa Peralta (born November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a designated hitter for the Texas Rangers of the American League. ... Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who is primarily remembered for breaking Babe Ruths 34-year-old single-season home run record in 1961 on the last day of the season. ... Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California) is the starting left fielder currently for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball but will not return to the team for the 2008 season. ... Henry Louis Hank Aaron (born February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama), nicknamed Hammer, Hammerin Hank”, or Bad Henry”, is a retired American baseball player whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned the 1950s through the 1970s. ... This article is about the chemical family of steroids. ...

Baseball around the world

Main article: History of baseball outside the United States

Baseball is largely known as America's pastime, but has a fan base in several other countries as well. The history of baseball in Canada has remained closely linked with that of the sport in the United States. As early as 1877, a professional league, the International Association, featured teams from both countries. While baseball is widely played in Canada, and many minor league teams have been based in the country, the American major leagues did not include a Canadian club until 1969, when the Montreal Expos joined the National League as an expansion team. In 1977, the expansion Toronto Blue Jays joined the American League. The Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, the first and still the only club from outside the United States to do so. In 2004, Major League Baseball relocated the Expos to Washington, D.C., where the team is now known as the Nationals. Perhaps the first recorded instances of baseball played outside North America came in 1874, when a party comprising members of the Boston and Philadelphia clubs toured England both playing cricket and demonstrating baseball. ... The Montreal Expos (French: Les Expos de Montréal) were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 until 2004. ... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Other nicknames The Jays Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... Major league affiliations National League (1969–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Washington Nationals (2005–present) Montreal Expos (1969-2004) Other nicknames Nats, Nacionales (Spanish) Ballpark RFK Stadium (2005–present) Hiram Bithorn Stadium[3] (San Juan) (2003-2004) Olympic Stadium (Montreal) (1977-2004) Jarry Park...

The first formal baseball league outside of the United States and Canada was founded in 1878 in Cuba, which maintains a rich baseball tradition and whose national team has been one of the world's strongest since international play began in the late 1930s. Professional baseball leagues began to form in other countries between the world wars, including the Netherlands (formed in 1922), Australia (1934), Japan (1936), and Puerto Rico (1938). After World War II, professional leagues were founded in Italy (1948) and in many Latin American nations, most prominently Venezuela (1945), Mexico (1945), and the Dominican Republic (1951). In Asia, Korea (1982), Taiwan (1990), and China (2003) all have professional leagues. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ...

Many European countries have pro leagues as well, the most successful beside the Dutch being the Italian league founded in 1948. Compared to those in Asia and Latin America, the various European leagues and the one in Australia historically have had no more than niche appeal. Recently, the sport has begun to grow in popularity in those nations, most notably in Australia, which won a surprise silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. In 2007, the Israel Baseball League, featuring six teams, was launched. Competition between national teams, such as in the Baseball World Cup and the Olympic baseball tournament, has been administered by the International Baseball Federation since its formation in 1938. As of 2004, the organization has 112 member countries. (Redirected from 2004 Olympic Games) The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, commonly known as the 2004 Summer Olympics were the 28th Summer Olympic Games. ... The Israel Baseball League (IBL) (Hebrew: ליגת הבייסבול הישראלית) is a new professional baseball league in Israel. ... The Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national baseball teams from around the world compete. ... Baseball at the Summer Olympics had its official debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics and has been contested in 4 Olympiads. ... The International Baseball Federation (or IBAF) is the worldwide body which governs play between national teams, including the World Cup of Baseball (in conjunction with Major League Baseball) and the Olympic baseball tournament (in conjuction with the International Olympic Committee). ...

Since the early 1970s, the annual Caribbean Series has matched the league-winning clubs from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. The Confédération Européene de Baseball (European Baseball Confederation), founded in 1953, organizes a number of competitions between clubs from different countries as well as national squads. The inaugural World Baseball Classic, held in March 2006, had a much higher profile than previous tournaments featuring national teams, owing to the participation for the first time of a significant number of players from Major League Baseball. Caribbean Series logo The Caribbean Series was the brainchild of the Venezuelans Oscar El Negro Prieto and Pablo Morales, who devised the idea after the seeing the success of the Serie Interamericana (Inter-American Series) in 1946, which featured the Sultanes de Monterrey from Mexico; the All Cubans from Cuba... The World Baseball Classic, sometimes abbreviated WBC, is an international baseball tournament, first held in March 2006. ...

The 117th meeting of the International Olympic Committee, held in Singapore in July 2005, voted not to hold baseball and softball tournaments at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, but they will remain Olympic sports during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and will be put to vote again for each succeeding Summer Olympics. The elimination of baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic program enabled the IOC to consider adding two different sports to the program, but no other sport received a majority of votes favoring its inclusion. While baseball's lack of substantial appeal in much of the world was a factor; more important is the unwillingness of Major League Baseball to have a break during the Games so that its players can participate, something that the National Hockey League now does during the Winter Olympic Games. Because of the seasonal nature of baseball and the high priority its fans place on the integrity of major-league statistics from one season to the next, it would be more difficult to accommodate such a break in Major League Baseball. Tight security was highly visible during the 117th IOC Session. ... Stamp The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. ... Soft ball is also a sugar stage Softball is a team sport, in which a ball, eleven to twelve inches (or rarely, 16 inches) (28 to 30. ... The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July 2012 to 12 August 2012. ... A large number of sports have been conducted at the Olympic Games. ... The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be held in Beijing in the Peoples Republic of China from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony to take place at 8 p. ... “NHL” redirects here. ... An athlete carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. ...

Gameplay

A simplified version of the rules of baseball is at simplified baseball rules. The complete Official Rules can be found at MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball in the United States. These simplified baseball rules provide a very basic summary of baseball rules as well as the basics of softball rules. ...

General structure

Diagram of a baseball diamond

Baseball is played between two teams of nine players each on a baseball field, under the authority of one or more officials, called umpires. There are usually four umpires in major league games; up to six (and as few as one) may officiate depending on the league and the importance of the game. There are four bases. Numbered counter-clockwise, first, second and third bases are cushions (sometimes informally referred to as bags) shaped as 15 in (38 cm) squares which are raised a short distance above the ground; together with home plate, the fourth "base," they form a square with sides of 90 ft (27.4 m) called the diamond. Home base (plate) is a pentagonal rubber slab known as simply home. The playing field is divided into three main sections: Image File history File links Baseball_diamond. ... Image File history File links Baseball_diamond. ... A baseball field is a playing field used for baseball. ... The baseball diamond of the San Diego Padres PETCO Park, seen from the stands. ... Home plate umpire Gary Darling signals that the last pitch was a strike In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and meting out discipline. ... A baseball field is a playing field used for baseball. ... A clockwise motion is one that proceeds like the clocks hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... Home plate is the final base in baseball and related games that a player must touch to score. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... This shape is a Rhombus In geometry, a rhombus (also known as a rhomb) is a parallelogram in which all of the sides are of equal length. ...

• The infield, containing the four bases, is for general defensive purposes bounded by the foul lines and within the grass(or AstroTurf) line (see figure).
• The outfield is the grassed area beyond the infield grass line between the foul lines, and bounded by a wall or fence.
• Foul territory is the entire area outside the foul lines.

Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies warms up in the On-deck circle as his teammate enters the batter's box (see diagram).

The pitcher's mound is located in the center of the infield. It is an 18 foot (5.5 m) diameter mound of dirt no higher than 10 inches (25.4 cm). Near the center of the mound is the pitching rubber, a rubber slab positioned 60 feet 6 inches (18.4 m) from home plate. The pitcher must have one foot on the rubber at the start of every pitch to a batter, but the pitcher may leave the mound area once the ball is released. This article is about artificial grass. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 681 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: Flickr - On Deck Author: Scott Ableman License: Permission is granted by the author Scott Ableman to use this photo on Wikipedia under a CC-2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 681 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: Flickr - On Deck Author: Scott Ableman License: Permission is granted by the author Scott Ableman to use this photo on Wikipedia under a CC-2. ... Patrick Brian Burrell III or Pat Burrell, nickname Pat the Bat (born October 10, 1976 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas) is the starting left fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 14, 20, 32, 36, 42 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1884–present) Philadelphia Quakers (1883-1889) (Also referred to as Blue Jays 1943-1945 despite formal name remaining Phillies) Other nicknames The Phils, The Phightin Phils...

At the college/professional level, baseball is played in nine innings in which each team gets one turn to bat and try to score runs while the other pitches and defends in the field. High school baseball plays seven innings and Little League uses six inning games. An inning is broken up into two halves in which the away team bats in the top (first) half, and the home team bats in the bottom (second) half. In baseball, the defense always has the ball — a fact that differentiates it from most other team sports. The teams switch every time the defending team gets three players of the batting team out. The winner is the team with the most runs after nine innings. If the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth, play does not continue into the bottom half. In the case of a tie, additional innings are played until one team comes out ahead at the end of an inning. If the home team takes the lead anytime during the bottom of the ninth or of any inning thereafter, play stops and the home team is declared the winner. An innings, or inning, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably baseball and cricket – during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. ... Bengie Molina of the Anaheim Angels (in gray and red) scores a run by touching home plate after rounding all the bases. ... Little League Baseball - Logo Little League pitcher in Winesburg, Ohio Little League, Wayne, Michigan Little League Baseball is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local childrens leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world. ... In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. ...

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 (in a crouched stance) to receive it. Behind the catcher stands the home plate umpire. The batter stands in one of the batter's boxes and tries to hit the ball with a bat. The pitcher must keep one foot in contact with the top or front of the pitcher's rubber — a 24" x 6" (~ 61 cm x 15 cm) plate located atop the pitcher's mound — during the entire pitch, so he can only take one step backward and one forward in delivering the ball. The catcher's job is to receive any pitches that the batter does not hit and to "call" the game by a series of hand movements that signal to the pitcher what pitch to throw and where. If the pitcher disagrees with the call, he will "shake off" the catcher by shaking his head; he accepts the sign by nodding. Each team has a different set of signals, though the number 1 is almost universal as a fast ball. The catcher's role becomes more crucial depending on how the game is going, and how the pitcher responds to a given situation. Each pitch begins a new play, which might consist of nothing more than the pitch itself. Download high resolution version (500x750, 94 KB) GREELEY, Colo. ... Download high resolution version (500x750, 94 KB) GREELEY, Colo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Barry Bonds batting Photo:Agência Brasil In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for ones team. ... The typical motion of a pitcher In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ... In baseball, softball, and similar sports and games, the batters box is the place where the batter stands when ready to receive a pitch from the pitcher. ...

Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get three members of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field and wait for his next turn at bat. 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 players from the opposing team, that half of the inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch places; there is no upper limit to the number that may bat in rotation before three outs are recorded. Going through the entire order in an inning is referred to as "batting around". It is indicative of a high scoring inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having a turn (three outs) on offense. In baseball statistics, an at bat (AB) is used to calculate other data such as batting average. ... In baseball, the rules state that a batted ball is considered in flight when it has not yet touched any object other than a fielder or his equipment. ... In baseball a tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baserunner is out because he is touched by the fielders hand holding a live ball while the runner is in jeopardy. ... In baseball, a force play or force out, referred to as a force when the possibility of such a play exists, is a situation when a baserunner is compelled to vacate his time-of-pitch base because the batter became a runner. ... For the typographical mode indicating deleted text, see Strikethrough. ...

The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition; a player may do so only by batting, then becoming a base runner, touching all the bases in order (via one or more plays), and finally touching home plate. To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable baserunners to score or to become a baserunner himself. The batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory — between the baselines — in such a way that the defending players cannot get them 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 or, ideally, at all. In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat. ... In baseball, a fair ball is a batted ball that has not yet become a foul ball, and that. ...

A baserunner who successfully touches home plate after touching all previous bases in order scores a run. In an enclosed field, a fair ball hit over the fence on the fly is normally an automatic home run, which entitles the batter and all runners to touch all the bases and score. A home run hit with all bases occupied ('bases loaded') is called a grand slam. In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances safely around all three bases and returns safely to home plate. ... In baseball, a fair ball is a batted ball that has not yet become a foul ball, and that. ... Mark McGwire swinging for the fences. ...

Fielding team

See also: Baseball positions and Baseball positioning

The squad in the field is the defensive team; they attempt to prevent the baserunners from scoring. There are nine defensive positions, but only two have a mandatory location (pitcher and catcher). The locations of the other seven fielders is not specified by the rules, except that at the moment the pitch is delivered they must be positioned in fair territory and not in the space between the pitcher and the catcher. These fielders often shift their positioning in response to specific batters or game situations, and they may exchange positions with one another at any time. The nine positions most commonly used (with the number scorekeepers use) are: pitcher (1), catcher (2), first baseman (3), second baseman (4), third baseman (5), shortstop (6), left fielder (7), center fielder (8), and right fielder (9). Note that, in rare cases, teams may use dramatically differing schemes, such as switching an outfielder for an infielder. The numbering convention was established by Henry Chadwick. The reason the shortstop seems out of order has to do with the way fielders positioned themselves in the early years of the game. There are 9 fielding positions in baseball. ... Normal depth In baseball, while there are nine named fielding positions, players may move around freely. ... Normal depth In baseball, while there are nine named fielding positions, players may move around freely. ... There are other people called Henry Chadwick Henry Chadwick Henry Chadwick (October 5, 1824 – April 20, 1908), often called the father of baseball, was a sportswriter, baseball statistician and historian. ...

The battery

The battery is composed of the pitcher, who stands on the rubber of the mound, which is also known as the pitching plate, and the catcher, who squats behind home plate. These are the two fielders who always deal directly with the batter on every pitch, hence the term "battery", coined by Henry Chadwick and later reinforced by the implied comparison to artillery fire. The following is an alphabetical list of unofficial terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, and explanations of their meanings. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ... There are other people called Henry Chadwick Henry Chadwick Henry Chadwick (October 5, 1824 – April 20, 1908), often called the father of baseball, was a sportswriter, baseball statistician and historian. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ...

The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward home plate with the goal of getting the batter out. Pitchers also play defense by fielding batted balls, 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. 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. Catchers are also responsible for defense in the area near home plate. The typical motion of a pitcher In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. ... In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. ... In baseball, part of the infielders job is to cover bases. ... In baseball a tag out, sometimes just called a tag, is a play in which a baserunner is out because he is touched by the fielders hand holding a live ball while the runner is in jeopardy. ... In baseball, a force play or force out, referred to as a force when the possibility of such a play exists, is a situation when a baserunner is compelled to vacate his time-of-pitch base because the batter became a runner. ...

The infielders

The four infielders are the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. Originally the first, second and third basemen played very near their respective bases, and the shortstop generally played "in" (hence the term), covering the area between second, third, and the pitchers box, or wherever the game situation required. As the game evolved, the fielding positions changed to the now-familiar "umbrella", with the first and third baseman generally positioned a short distance toward second base from their bases, the second baseman to the right side of second base standing farther away from the base than any other infielder, and the shortstop playing to the left of second base, as seen from the batter's perspective, filling in the gaps. The position of the first baseman First base redirects here. ... The position of the second baseman Second base redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The position of the third baseman “Third base” redirects here. ...

The first baseman's job consists largely of making force plays at first base on ground balls hit to the other infielders. When an infielder picks up a ball from the ground hit by the batter, he must throw it to the first baseman who must catch the ball and maintain contact with the base before the batter gets to it for the batter to be out. The need to do this quickly often requires the first baseman to stretch one of his legs to touch first base while catching the ball simultaneously. The first baseman must be able to catch the ball very well and usually wears a specially designed mitt. The first baseman fields balls hit near first base. The first baseman also has to receive throws from the pitcher in order to tag runners out who have reached base safely. The position is less physically challenging than the other positions, but there is still a lot of skill involved. Infielders don't always make good throws to first base, so it is the first baseman's job to field any ball thrown toward him cleanly. Older players who can no longer fulfill the demands of their original positions also often become first basemen. The position of the first baseman First base redirects here. ... In baseball, a force is a situation when a baserunner is compelled (or forced) to vacate his time-of-pitch base--and thus try to advance to the next base--because the batter became a runner. ... In baseball, a batted ball can be called one of several various things, depending on how it comes off the bat and where in the field it lands. ... An infielder is a baseball player who plays on the infield, the dirt portion of a baseball diamond between first base and third base. ... Barry Bonds batting Photo:Agência Brasil In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for ones team. ... Glove front (top) shows catching surface with baseball bat. ...

The second baseman covers the area to the first-base side of second base and provides backup for the first baseman in bunt situations. He also is a cut-off for the outfield. This is when the outfielder doesn't have to throw the full distance from him/her to the base, but just to the cut-off. The shortstop fills the critical gap between second and third bases — where right-handed batters generally hit ground balls — and also covers second or third base and the near part of left field. This player is also a cut-off for the outfield. This position is the most demanding defensively, so a good shortstop doesn't need to necessarily be a good batter. The third baseman's primary requirement is a strong throwing arm, in order to make the long throw across the infield to the first baseman. Quick reaction time is also important for third basemen, as they tend to see more sharply hit balls than the other infielders, thus the nickname for third base as the "hot corner." Also, because there are far more right-handed hitters than lefties, there are more ground balls hit to the left side of the infield due to the natural motion of the batter's swing. A Little League baseball player squares around to bunt. ... The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. ... The position of the left fielder A left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder in the sport of baseball who plays defense in left field. ... Reaction time, in humans, is the elapsed time between the receiving of stimuli and the subsequent reaction. ...

The outfielders

The three outfielders, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder, are so named from the catcher's perspective looking out onto the field. The right fielder generally has the strongest arm of all the outfielders due to the need to make throws on runners attempting to take third base. The ce