New York Yankees: A Baseball Legacy
Baseball Basics
The Field of Play
A baseball field, often called a diamond, is a wedge-shaped area of grass and dirt. It's defined by two white lines, called foul lines, that extend from a point called home plate at a 90-degree angle. The area inside these lines is fair territory; anything outside is foul territory.
The diamond itself consists of four bases: home plate, first base, second base, and third base. They form a square with 90-foot sides. The grassy area inside and just around this square is the infield. The larger grassy area beyond the infield is the outfield, which is bordered by a wall or fence.
At the center of the infield is a raised area of dirt called the pitcher's mound, where the pitcher stands to throw the ball.
The Players and Their Roles
A baseball team has nine players on the field at a time. Each position has a specific defensive responsibility. The goal of the team in the field is to prevent the other team from scoring runs.
| Position Group | Players | Primary Role |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | Pitcher, Catcher | Initiate the play; prevent hits and stolen bases. |
| Infielders | First Baseman, Second Baseman, Shortstop, Third Baseman | Field balls hit on the ground or in the air in the infield. |
| Outfielders | Left Fielder, Center Fielder, Right Fielder | Cover the large outfield area to catch long fly balls. |
The pitcher throws the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher, who is positioned behind home plate. The other seven players are positioned around the field to catch or stop balls hit by the opposing team's batter.
How the Game Flows
The game is divided into segments called innings. In each inning, both teams get a turn to bat and try to score. The visiting team bats first, in the top half of the inning, and the home team bats second, in the bottom half.
Inning
noun
A unit of play in baseball, consisting of a turn at bat for each team.
The team at bat sends one player at a time to home plate to hit the ball thrown by the pitcher. The goal is to hit the ball into fair territory and run around the bases. A batter's turn at bat ends when they either get a hit, are put out, or draw a walk.
The fielding team's goal is to get three players on the batting team "out." An out can be recorded in several ways, such as catching a batted ball before it hits the ground or tagging a runner with the ball while they are not on a base. Once a team records three outs, their half of the inning is over, and the teams switch roles.
Scoring Runs
The objective of the game is simple: score more runs than your opponent. A run is scored when a player on the batting team legally advances through first, second, and third base, and then touches home plate without being put out.
A player can score on their own hit (a home run) or on a teammate's hit. They can also advance on walks, errors, or other specific plays.
The game continues for nine innings. If the score is tied after nine innings, the teams play extra innings until one team is ahead at the end of a full inning. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Basically, baseball is a game played with a bat, ball and glove.
Let's review some key terms before we test your knowledge.
Ready to see what you've learned?
What shape do the four bases on a baseball field form?
How does a team score a run in baseball?
With these fundamentals, you have a solid foundation for understanding the strategy and excitement of a baseball game.