How to Play Baseball

    Baseball is often referred to as "Americas pastime." Baseball is a sport that is deeply rooted in American history and culture. This sport is played by millions around the world, which is played by 129 nations. Baseball is a sport that involves a large understanding of the sport like any sport. Within baseball there are rules, positions, skills, and strategies that one has to understand in order to succeed at playing baseball. Since baseball has and will continue to be a popular sport, I am going to explain how to play the sport of baseball.

    To start off, I will explain the baseball field and positions that the different players play. A baseball field is divided into two main sections: the infield and outfield. The infield consists of four bases that make up the diamond shape when you look at a baseball field. The four bases are in the infield are home, first, second, and third base. Each of the bases represent a stop for the runners on the opposing team that are trying to score against the team on the field. The line or area between the bases is called the basepath, and base runners aren't allowed to run outside of the basepath. The outfield consists of all of the grass past the infield. 

    In terms of the various positions on a baseball field, there are nine defensive positions. These positions consist of the pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. The pitcher stands on the pitcher's mound, which is located in the center of the infield. His job is to throw the ball to home plate which begins each play. The catcher crouches behind home plate and catches the balls the pitcher throws. The catcher's other job is also to guard against baserunners attempting to steal by throwing the ball to whichever base a runner is trying to steal to. The first baseman positions himself next to first base, and his job is to field balls that are hit to him and receive throws from other fielders in an attempt to get baserunners out. The second baseman plays between the first and second bases and is responsible for fielding balls and trying to make double plays if possible. A double play is where two outs are made from one hit. The shortstop is positioned between second base and third base, and fields groundballs but is also responsible for covering the larger amount of ground between second and third base. The last infield position, the third baseman, covers the last base in the infield. The third baseman typically fields bunts, groundballs, and makes throws to first base. 

    As for the outfielders, the left fielder covers the field behind third base, the center fielder covers the area behind second base, and the right fielder covers the area behind first base. All outfielders have the same goal which is to catch fly balls and field ground balls that get past the infield. 

    Next, I'll go over some of the basic rules of baseball. The main objective of baseball is to score more runs than the opposing team. A run is scored when a batter hits the ball, and successfully makes it around each base and back to home without getting out. A regular baseball game is split up into nine innings, in which each team gets to bat and field in each inning. When a team is on the offense, they are attempting to hit the ball as a batter. When a team is on the defense, they are on the field trying to stop hits from being made and getting runners out before they make it to a base. Each inning has three outs before the teams switch from offense to defense. 

    Batting and hitting are the most difficult yet exciting parts of playing baseball. A batter stands in the batter's box which are on either side of home plate. The batter goes to whichever batter's box correlates with what side he swings the bat with. During hitting, the batter is required to stay within the batter's box. When hitting, the batter ends up doing one of three primary outcomes. They either get thrown a strike, hit the ball, or get thrown a ball. As a batter, you have three strikes before your out, and the next batter comes up to hit. However, if the pitcher throws four balls before three strikes and you don't hit a ball, you get to go to first base for free. This is called a "walk." If a batter makes contact with a ball and it ends up being a hit, it will end up being a single, double, triple, or homerun. A single means the batter only made it to first base without getting out. A double means the batter made it to second base without being out. A triple means the batter hit the ball well enough to get to third base without getting out. Finally, a homerun means the batter hit the ball so well it went out of the outfield and into the stands. This means the batter and any runners on base get to go to home base and each count for a run. A successful batter must be able to read the pitcher, adjust himself to different pitches that are thrown. 

    Pitching is another very important part of baseball. Pitching is the absolute key to defense in baseball. The pitcher's job is to throw balls that will prevent the batter from hitting the ball. A pitcher uses a variety of different pitches to confuse the batter. The most common pitches the pitcher will throw are a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. Each of these pitches serves a different purpose. The fastball is the most normal pitch. A curveball is thrown with a spin that makes the ball curve out of the way at the last second. A slider is a pitch that starts off on a straight trajectory but then slides away at the last second. A changeup is any pitch that is meant to look like a fastball but is thrown at a slower speed. Pitchers need a strong mental focus since they need to choose the correct pitch for the situation, and for each batter.

    Fielding involves simply catching fly balls and fielding groundballs hit by batters. The main ways to get a better or baserunner out is by a catch, force out, or by a tag out. A catch is any ball that is caught midair by a fielder before it touches the ground. This results in an immediate out from whoever hit the ball. A force out is if a fielder throws a ball that they fielded to a baseman before the base runner gets to the base. If that happens, the baserunner is out. A tag out occurs if a fielder has possession of the baseball in his glove and they touch the batter with the glove or touch the base before the batter gets there. Infielders and outfielders also must always communicate with each other and work as a unit to get effective outs. 

    The last topic I will talk about is baserunning. Baserunning is a very critical aspect of baseball for the team on offense. After a better hit the ball, they become a baserunner. At this point their only job is to make it to first base. Depending on their hit, they can attempt to go to second or third base if they think they have enough time to do so. Speed and awareness with the field and where the ball is are keys to successful baserunning. 

    Baseball is not only a fun game, but a very strategic game. Once you practice the game and get the fundamentals down, it becomes one of the most fun sports one can play.