Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine on a diamond-shaped field. The offense scores runs by hitting a pitched ball and running clockwise around four bases to return to home plate; the defense tries to record outs to end innings. A standard game comprises nine innings, with three outs per half-inning. If the score is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played until a winner is determined.

Equipment includes a bat, a hard ball, gloves, and protective gear for catchers and pitchers. The field features four bases spaced 90 feet apart in professional play, with the pitcher's mound located 60 feet 6 inches from home plate.

Play begins with the pitcher throwing from the mound toward the batter; the batter attempts to hit the ball into fair territory and reach a base. Outs can be recorded by striking out a batter, catching a batted ball before it touches the ground, forcing runners out, or tagging a runner with the ball. Teams switch roles after three outs in each half-inning.

Baseball is organized at multiple levels, most prominently Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, which includes the American League and National League. Other professional leagues exist worldwide, and numerous national and amateur competitions promote the sport. The World Baseball Classic is an international tournament; baseball has been contested in the Olympics in some years.

Historically, baseball developed from bat-and-ball games in the 19th century in the United States. It grew into a professional sport with standardized rules, integrated leagues in the mid-20th century, and today enjoys global participation, notable for statistics such as batting average, home runs, RBIs, ERA, and advanced metrics.