Baseball

Bats and balls are used in the sport of baseball, which is played by two opposing teams of nine players each. Players on each team take turns hitting and fielding the ball. The next step in the game is for the pitcher, who is a member of the fielding team, to throw a ball that a member of the batting team, who is termed the batter, will attempt to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team, also known as the batting team, is to hit the ball into the playing field while keeping it out of reach of the opposing team's players. This will enable the offensive team's players to advance around the bases in a clockwise direction and score what are known as "runs." The goal of the defensive team, sometimes known as the fielding team, is to stop runners from advancing around the bases and stop hitters from moving from the batter's box to the runner's box. If a runner is able to lawfully progress around the bases in order and then reaches home plate, then that runner has scored a run (the place where the player started as a batter). The winning side is determined to be the one that finishes the game with the most runs scored.

The first objective of the team that is batting is to have one of their players safely reach first base. This can happen in one of two ways: either the batter gets to first base before an opponent who is holding the ball touches the base, or the pitcher continues to throw the ball out of the batter's reach. If a member of the team that is batting gets to first base without being told they are "out," that player has the opportunity to try to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or while their teammates are at bat. The side that is responsible for fielding the baseball seeks to stop runs from being scored by getting hitters or runners "out," which means to remove them from the playing field. The fielders and the pitcher each have their own strategies for getting batters and runners out of the game. The teams that are competing against one another take turns batting and fielding; the turn of the team that is now batting is finished whenever the team that is fielding has recorded three outs. An inning consists of each side getting one turn at bat throughout the game. A baseball game consists of nine innings, and the victorious side is the one that finishes with the most runs after those nine innings have been completed. In the event that the score is tied after nine innings, the game will often continue with extra innings. Baseball does not use a game clock, although the ninth inning is often the last inning of play.

The ancient bat-and-ball games that were already being played in England by the middle of the 18th century eventually gave birth to baseball. Immigrants are responsible for bringing this game to North America, which is where the contemporary version was formed. By the late 19th century, baseball had gained almost universal acceptance as the national sport of the United States of America. Baseball is a popular sport in many areas of the world, including East Asia, notably Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. It is also played in several regions of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The professional baseball clubs that compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada are separated into two leagues: the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). Both leagues have three divisions: the East, the West, and the Central. The winner of Major League Baseball is selected through a series of playoffs that end with the World Series. The highest level of competition in Japan is divided between the Central League and the Pacific League, while in Cuba, the top level of competition is separated between the West League and the East League. The Globe Baseball Classic is the most important international tournament for baseball and draws the best national teams from all around the world. It is organised by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, which is also the sport's governing body.