The major confrontation of the game centres on the pitcher and batter. The pitcher hurls the ball (at upwards of 145 kph/90 mph) towards the batter, who stands alongside the home plate poised to strike the ball. If the batter swings at the ball and fails to hit it, or if the pitcher throws the ball into a designated strike zone without the batter swinging at the ball, a strike is called. Three strikes causes a batter to be declared out. Conversely, if the pitcher fails to throw the ball into the strike zone and the batter does not swing, a ball is called. Four balls allow the batter to take first base. The home plate umpire, who stands behind the catcher, determines if the ball is within the strike zone (which comprises the area over home plate extending from the midway point between the top of the batter’s shoulders to the top of his pants, down to the top of his knees). If the batter slices the ball outside the foul lines, the umpire call a ‘ball’. If the batter strikes the ball beyond the playing area’s limits (within the foul lines), or if he circles the bases before being put out, he has hit a home run (or homer).

Baseball is called the national pastime in the USA. Professional teams usually consist of 25 players. The Major League of North America is divided into the American League and National League, each consisting of an Eastern, Western, and (since 1994) Central division. In the National League 9 players can participate at one time for each team, while in the American League 10 take part because that league employs the designated hitter rule allowing a team to replace the pitcher in its batting order with a player who bats but does not play the field. The culmination of the season, which runs from April through October, is a best-of-seven game World Series between the champions of each league.

The origins of the game are unclear. The person most widely cited as the game’s inventor is a West Point cadet, Abner Doubleday, who in 1839 laid out a diamond at Cooperstown, NY, where the modern day Baseball Hall of Fame stands. However, there is evidence that the game was played much earlier, and gradually evolved into its present form. The first formal set of baseball rules were drawn up by Alexander Cartwright in 1845. Baseball is becoming increasingly popular in Japan and Latin America, and in 1992 a Canadian team (the Toronto Blue Jays) won the World Series for the first time.

See also rounders, softball, New York Yankees, World Series.

Diagram showing baseball field dimensions.