The Baseball Coaching Digest: Introduction to Baseball

The Offical Blog of the Baseball Coaching Digest

Monday, October 25, 2010

Introduction to Baseball

Introduction to Baseball
By guest author: Richard Robbins

Baseball is a game that is played with nine players on each team. The objective of the game is to score more points ("runs") than the other team. Runs are scored when a player advances from home plate to first base, on to second base, third base, and then back to home plate again without being put "out" by the other team. Opposing teams take turns being on offense and defense. When a team is on offense, members of the team take turns attempting to hit a baseball with a bat as the ball is thrown ("pitched") from some distance in front of home plate. The offensive team continues to bat until three "outs" are made by the defensive team. When the team playing defense gets three outs against the other team, the teams switch roles, and the defensive team takes their turn on offense while the other team plays defense.

Each cycle that is played this way (where each team has played on offense for three outs and on defense for three outs) is referred to as an inning. The game is normally concluded at the end of a designated number of innings, at which point the winner is the team with the most runs scored. In most baseball leagues, a winning team must be declared (no ties can exist). This overtime scenario is referred to as "extra innings", which involves the two teams playing more innings than normal, with the game being completed when one team scores more runs in one of the innings than the other team.

Richard Robbins is one of the owner of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer of baseball jerseys and baseball uniforms.

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