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Baseball

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Sports

   A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. Louis, Missouri.
   Enlarge
   A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. Louis, Missouri.
   Picture of Fenway Park. Part of the "Green Monster" can be seen on the
   right side of this picture.
   Enlarge
   Picture of Fenway Park. Part of the " Green Monster" can be seen on the
   right side of this picture.

   Baseball is a sport played between two teams usually of nine players
   each. It is a bat-and-ball game in which a pitcher throws ( pitches) a
   hard, fist-sized, leather-covered ball toward a batter on the opposing
   team. The batter attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered
   cylindrical bat, made of wood (as required in professional baseball) or
   a variety of other materials (as allowed in many nonprofessional
   games). A team scores runs only when batting, by advancing its
   players—primarily via hits—counterclockwise past a series of four
   markers called bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square,
   or "diamond." The game, played without time restriction, is structured
   around nine segments called innings. In each inning, both teams are
   given the opportunity to bat and score runs; a team's half-inning ends
   when outs are recorded against three of its players.

   Baseball on both the professional and amateur levels is popular in
   North America, Central America, parts of South America, parts of the
   Caribbean, and East Asia. The modern version of the game developed in
   North America beginning in the eighteenth century. The consensus of
   historians is that it evolved from bat-and-ball games, such as
   rounders, brought to the continent by British and Irish immigrants. By
   the late nineteenth century, baseball was widely recognized as the
   national sport of the United States. The game is sometimes referred to
   as hardball to differentiate it from similar sports such as softball.

History of baseball

Origins of baseball

   The distinct evolution of baseball from among the various bat-and-ball
   games is difficult to trace with precision. While there has been
   general agreement that modern baseball is a North American development
   from the older game rounders, the 2006 book Baseball Before We Knew It:
   A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, argues against that
   notion. The earliest known mention of the sport is in a 1744 British
   publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, by John Newbery. It contains
   a wood-cut illustration of boys playing "base-ball," showing a set-up
   roughly similar to the modern game, and a rhymed description of the
   sport. The earliest known American reference to the game was published
   in a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, statute that prohibited the
   playing of baseball within 80 yards of the town's new meeting house.
   The English novelist Jane Austen made a reference to children playing
   "base-ball" on a village green in her book Northanger Abbey, which was
   written between 1798 and 1803 (though not published until 1818).

   The first full documentation of a baseball game in North America is Dr.
   Adam Ford's contemporary description of a game that took place in 1838
   on June 4 (Militia Muster Day) in Beachville, Ontario; this report was
   related in a 1886 edition of Sporting Life magazine in a letter by
   former St. Marys, Ontario, resident Dr. Matthew Harris. Canada was a
   hotbed of early baseball development and the sport grew quickly on both
   sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, with strong players and teams in
   both countries. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright of New York City led the
   codification of an early list of rules (the so-called Knickerbocker
   Rules), from which today's have evolved. While there are reports of
   Cartwright's club, the New York Knickerbockers, playing games in 1845,
   the game now recognized as the first in U.S. history to be officially
   recorded took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the
   "New York Nine" defeating the Knickerbockers, 23–1, in four innings.

History of baseball in the United States

   Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States in the 1860s; in
   1869, the first fully professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red
   Stockings, was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semipro
   and amateur teams. By the following decade, American newspapers were
   referring to baseball as the "National Pastime" or "National Game." The
   first "major league" was the National Association, which lasted from
   1871 to 1875. The National League, which still exists today, was
   founded in 1876. Several other major leagues formed and failed, but the
   American League, established in 1901 as a major league and originating
   from the minor Western League (1893), succeeded. While the two leagues
   were rivals who actively fought for the best players, often
   disregarding one another's contracts and engaging in bitter legal
   disputes, a modicum of peace was established in 1903, and the World
   Series was inaugurated that fall. The next year, however, the National
   League champion New York Giants did not participate as their manager,
   John McGraw, refused to recognize the major league status of the
   American League and its champion, the Boston Americans. The following
   year, McGraw relented and the Giants played the Philadelphia Athletics
   in the World Series.

   Compared with the present day, games in the early part of the 20th
   century were lower scoring and pitchers were more successful. The
   "inside game", whose nature was to "scratch for runs", was played
   rather more violently and aggressively than it is today. Ty Cobb said
   of his era especially, "Baseball is something like a war!" This period,
   which has since become known as the " dead-ball era", ended in the
   1920s with several rule changes that gave advantages to hitters and the
   rise of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who showed the world
   what power hitting could produce and thus changed the nature of the
   game.

   In 1884, African American Moses Walker (and, briefly, his brother
   Welday) had played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the
   major-league-level American Association. An injury ended Walker's major
   league career, and by the early 1890s, a "gentlemen's agreement" in the
   form of the baseball colour line effectively barred African-American
   players from the majors and their affiliated minor leagues, resulting
   in the formation of several Negro Leagues. The first crack in the
   agreement occurred in 1946, when Jackie Robinson was signed by the
   National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor
   league team in Montreal. Finally, in 1947, the major leagues' colour
   barrier was broken when Robinson debuted with the Dodgers. Although the
   transformation was not instantaneous, baseball has since become fully
   integrated.

   Major league baseball finally made it to the West Coast of the United
   States in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated
   to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively. The first American
   League team on the West Coast was the Los Angeles Angels, who were
   founded as an expansion team in 1961.

   Pitchers dominated the game in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the early
   1970s the designated hitter (DH) rule was proposed. The American League
   adopted this rule in 1973, though pitchers still bat for themselves in
   the National League to this day. The DH rule now constitutes the
   primary difference between the two leagues.

   Despite the popularity of baseball, and the attendant high salaries
   relative to those of average Americans, the players have become
   dissatisfied from time to time, as they believed the owners had too
   much control. Various job actions have occurred throughout the game's
   history. Players on specific teams occasionally attempted strikes, but
   usually came back when their jobs were sufficiently threatened. The
   throwing of the 1919 World Series, the " Black Sox scandal", was in
   some sense a "strike" or at least a rebellion by the ballplayers
   against a perceived stingy owner. But the strict rules of baseball
   contracts tended to keep the players "in line" in general.

   This began to change in the 1960s when former United Steelworkers
   president Marvin Miller became the Baseball Players Union president.
   The union became much stronger than it had been previously, especially
   when the reserve clause was effectively nullified in the mid-1970s.
   Conflicts between owners and the players' union led to major work
   stoppages in 1972, 1981, and 1994. The so-called 1994 baseball strike
   (which was technically a a lockout) led to the cancellation of the
   World Series, and was not settled until the spring of 1995. During this
   paeriod, as well, many of the functions—such as player discipline and
   umpire supervision—and regulations that had been administered
   seperately by the two major leagues' administrations were united under
   the rubric of Major League Baseball.

   On a happier note, 1995 was the year Cal Ripken, Jr. played in his
   2131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record. The number of
   home runs increased dramatically after the strike. Mark McGwire and
   Sammy Sosa both shattered Roger Maris's long-standing single season
   home run record in the late 1990s. In 2001, Barry Bonds established the
   current record of 73 home runs in a single season. Bonds has also gone
   on to hit more homers in his career than any player other than Henry
   Aaron. Even though all three sluggers were later implicated in the
   steroid-abuse scandal of the mid-2000s, their feats did do a lot at the
   time to bolster the game's renewed popularity.

   Professional baseball leagues began to form in countries outside of
   America in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Netherlands (formed in
   1922), Japan (1936), and Australia (1934). Today, Venezuela (1945), the
   whole of Europe (1953), Italy (1948), Korea (1982), Taiwan (1990), and
   mainland China (2003) all have professional leagues as well (however,
   the leagues in Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom have generally
   had a niche appeal compared to the leagues in Asia and Venezuela and
   only now is the sport beginning to broaden in scope in those nations,
   most notably in Australia, who won a surprise silver medal in the 2004
   Olympic Games). Israel will have a professional league beginning in
   June 2007. Canada has a franchise in Major League Baseball as well.
   Competition between national teams, such as in the World Cup of
   Baseball and the Olympic baseball tournament, has been administered by
   the International Baseball Federation since its formation in 1938. As
   of 2004, this organization has 112 member countries. The new World
   Baseball Classic, first held in March 2006, seems likely to have a much
   higher profile than previous tournaments, owing to the participation
   for the first time of a significant number of players from the United
   States Major Leagues.

   The 117th meeting of the International Olympic Committee, held in
   Singapore in July 2005, voted not to hold baseball and softball
   tournaments at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, but they will remain
   Olympic sports during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and will be put to
   vote again for each succeeding Summer Olympics. The elimination of
   baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic program enabled the IOC to
   consider adding two other sports to the program instead, but no other
   sport received a majority of votes favoring its inclusion. While
   baseball's lack of major appeal in a significant portion of the world
   was a factor, a more important factor was the unwillingness of Major
   League Baseball to have a break during the Games so that its players
   could participate, something that the National Hockey League now does
   during the Winter Olympic Games. Because of the seasonal nature of
   baseball and the high priority baseball fans place on the integrity of
   major-league statistics from one season to the next, however, it would
   be more difficult to accommodate such a break in MLB.

Gameplay

   A simplified version of the rules of baseball is at simplified baseball
   rules. The complete Official Rules can be found at www.mlb.com, the
   official web site of Major League Baseball in the United States.

General structure

   Diagram of a baseball diamond.
   Enlarge
   Diagram of a baseball diamond.

   Baseball is played between two teams of nine players each on a baseball
   field, under the authority of one or more officials, called umpires.
   There are usually four umpires in major league games; up to six (and as
   few as one) may officiate depending on the league and the importance of
   the game. There are four bases. Numbered counter-clockwise, first,
   second and third bases are cushions (sometimes informally referred to
   as bags) shaped as 15  in (38  cm) squares which are raised a short
   distance above the ground; together with home plate, the fourth "base,"
   they form a square with sides of 90  ft (27.4  m) called the diamond.
   Home base (plate) is a pentagonal rubber slab known as simply home. The
   field is divided into two main sections:
     * The infield, containing the four bases, is for defensive and
       offensive purposes bounded by the foul lines and the grass line
       (see figure). However, the infield technically consists of only the
       area within the bases, including the foul lines.
     * The outfield is the grassed area beyond the infield grass line (for
       general purposes; see above under infield), between the foul lines,
       and bounded by a wall or fence. Again, there is a technical
       difference; properly speaking, the outfield consists of all fair
       ground beyond the square of the infield and its bases. The area
       between the foul lines, including the foul lines (the foul lines
       are in fair territory), is fair territory, and the area outside the
       foul lines is foul territory.

   The game is played in nine innings (although it can be played with
   fewer, such as it is in little league games) in which each team gets
   one turn to bat and try to score runs while the other pitches and
   defends in the field. An inning is broken up into two halves in which
   the away team bats in the top (first) half, and the home team bats in
   the bottom (second) half. In baseball, the defense always has the ball
   — a fact that differentiates it from most other team sports. The teams
   switch every time the defending team gets three players of the batting
   team out. The winner is the team with the most runs after nine innings.
   If the home team is ahead after the top of the ninth, play does not
   continue into the bottom half. In the case of a tie, additional innings
   are played until one team comes out ahead at the end of an inning. If
   the home team takes the lead anytime during the bottom of the ninth or
   of any inning thereafter, play stops and the home team is declared the
   winner.
   A batter follows through after swinging at a pitched ball.
   Enlarge
   A batter follows through after swinging at a pitched ball.

   The basic contest is always between the pitcher for the fielding team,
   and a batter. The pitcher throws— pitches—the ball towards home plate,
   where the catcher for the fielding team waits (in a crouched stance) to
   receive it. Behind the catcher stands the home plate umpire. The batter
   stands in one of the batter's boxes and tries to hit the ball with a
   bat. The pitcher must keep one foot in contact with the top or front of
   the pitcher's rubber—a 24" x 6" (~ 61 cm x 15 cm) plate located atop
   the pitcher's mound—during the entire pitch, so he can only take one
   step backward and one forward in delivering the ball. The catcher's job
   is to receive any pitches that the batter does not hit and to "call"
   the game by a series of hand movements that signal to the pitcher what
   pitch to throw and where. If the pitcher disagrees with the call, he
   will "shake off" the catcher by shaking his head; he accepts the sign
   by nodding. The catcher's role becomes more crucial depending on how
   the game is going, and how the pitcher responds to a given situation.
   Each pitch begins a new play, which might consist of nothing more than
   the pitch itself.

   Each half-inning, the goal of the defending team is to get three
   members of the other team out. A player who is out must leave the field
   and wait for his next turn at bat. There are many ways to get batters
   and baserunners out; some of the most common are catching a batted ball
   in the air, tag outs, force outs, and strikeouts. After the fielding
   team has put out three players from the opposing team, that half of the
   inning is over and the team in the field and the team at bat switch
   places; there is no upper limit to the number that may bat in rotation
   before three outs are recorded. Going through the entire order in an
   inning is referred to as "batting around". It is indicative of a high
   scoring inning. A complete inning consists of each opposing side having
   a turn (three outs) on offense.

   The goal of the team at bat is to score more runs than the opposition;
   a player may do so only by batting, then becoming a base runner,
   touching all the bases in order (via one or more plays), and finally
   touching home plate. To that end, the goal of each batter is to enable
   baserunners to score or to become a baserunner himself. The batter
   attempts to hit the ball into fair territory—between the baselines—in
   such a way that the defending players cannot get them or the
   baserunners out. In general, the pitcher attempts to prevent this by
   pitching the ball in such a way that the batter cannot hit it cleanly
   or, ideally, at all.

   A baserunner who successfully touches home plate after touching all
   previous bases in order scores a run. In an enclosed field, a fair ball
   hit over the fence on the fly is normally an automatic home run, which
   entitles the batter and all runners to touch all the bases and score. A
   home run hit with all bases occupied ('bases loaded') is called a grand
   slam.

Fielding team

   The squad in the field is the defensive team; they attempt to prevent
   the baserunners from scoring. There are nine defensive positions,
   however, only two of the positions have a mandatory location (pitcher
   and catcher), the locations of the other seven fielders is not
   specified by the rules, except that at the moment the pitch is
   delivered they must be positioned in fair territory and not in the
   space between the pitcher and the catcher. These fielders often shift
   their positioning in response to specific batters or game situations,
   and they may exchange positions with one another at any time. The nine
   positions most commonly used are: pitcher, catcher, first baseman,
   second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder,
   and right fielder. Note that, in rare cases, teams may use dramatically
   differing schemes, such as switching an outfielder for an infielder.
   Scorekeepers label each position with a number starting with the
   pitcher (1), catcher (2), first baseman (3), second baseman (4), third
   baseman (5), shortstop (6), left fielder (7), centre fielder (8), right
   fielder (9). This convention was established by Henry Chadwick. The
   reason the shortstop seems out of order has to do with the way fielders
   positioned themselves in the early years of the game.

The battery

   The battery is composed of the pitcher, who stands on the rubber of the
   mound, and the catcher, who squats behind home plate. These are the two
   fielders who always deal directly with the batter on every pitch, hence
   the term "battery", coined by Henry Chadwick and later reinforced by
   the implied comparison to artillery fire.

   The pitcher's main role is to pitch the ball toward home plate with the
   goal of getting the batter out. Pitchers also play defense by fielding
   batted balls, covering bases (for a potential tag out or force out on
   an approaching runner), or backing up throws. The catcher's main role
   is to receive the pitch if the batter does not hit it. Together with
   the pitcher and coaches, the catcher plots game strategy by suggesting
   different pitches and by shifting the starting positions of the other
   fielders. Catchers are also responsible for defense in the area near
   home plate.

The infielders

   The four infielders are the first baseman, second baseman, shortstop,
   and third baseman. Originally the first, second and third basemen
   played very near their respective bases, and the shortstop generally
   played "in" (hence the term), covering the area between second, third,
   and the pitchers box, or wherever the game situation required. As the
   game evolved, the fielding positions changed to the now-familiar
   "umbrella", with the first and third baseman generally positioned a
   short distance toward second base from their bases, the second baseman
   to the right side of second base standing farther away from the base
   than any other infielder, and the shortstop playing to the left of
   second base, as seen from the batter's perspective, filling in the
   gaps.

   The first baseman's job consists largely of making force plays at first
   base on ground balls hit to the other infielders. When an infielder
   picks up a ball from the ground hit by the batter, he must throw it to
   the first baseman who must catch the ball and maintain contact with the
   base before the batter gets to it for the batter to be out. The need to
   do this quickly often requires the first baseman to stretch one of his
   legs to touch first base while catching the ball simultaneously. The
   first baseman must be able to catch the ball very well and usually
   wears a specially designed mitt. The first baseman also fields balls
   hit near first base. The first baseman also has to receive throws from
   the pitcher in order to tag runners out who have reached base safely.
   The position is less physically challenging than the other positions,
   but there is still a lot of skill involved. Infielders don't always
   make good throws to first base, so it is the first baseman's job to
   field any ball thrown toward him cleanly. Older players who can no
   longer fulfill the demands of their original positions also often
   become first basemen. The second baseman covers the area to the
   first-base side of second base and provides backup for the first
   baseman in bunt situations. He also is a cut-off for the outfield. This
   is when the outfielder doesn't have to throw the full distance from
   him/her to the base, but just to the cut-off. The shortstop fills the
   critical gap between second and third bases—where right-handed batters
   generally hit ground balls—and also covers second or third base and the
   near part of left field. This player is also a cut-off for the
   outfield. This position is the most demanding defensively, so a good
   shortstop doesn't need to necessarily be a good batter. The third
   baseman's primary requirement is a strong throwing arm, in order to
   make the long throw across the infield to the first baseman. Quick
   reaction time is also important for third basemen, as they tend to see
   more sharply hit balls than the other infielders, thus the nickname for
   third base as the "hot corner."

The outfielders

   The three outfielders, left fielder, centre fielder, and right fielder,
   are so named from the catcher's perspective looking out onto the field.
   The right fielder generally has the strongest arm of all the
   outfielders due to the need to make throws on runners attempting to
   take third base. The centre fielder has more territory to cover than
   the corner outfielders, so this player must be quick and agile with a
   strong arm to throw balls in to the infield; as with the shortstop,
   teams tend to emphasize defense at this position. Also, the centre
   fielder is considered the outfield leader, and left- and right-fielders
   often cede to his direction when fielding fly balls. Of all
   outfielders, the left fielder often has the weakest arm, as they
   generally do not need to throw the ball as far in order to prevent the
   advance of any baserunners. The left fielder still requires good
   fielding and catching skills, and tends to receive more balls than the
   right fielder due to the fact that right-handed hitters, who are much
   more common, tend to "pull" the ball into left field. Each outfielder
   runs to "back up" a nearby outfielder who attempts to field a ball hit
   near both their positions. Outfielders also run to back up infielders
   on batted balls and thrown balls, including pick-off attempts from the
   pitcher or from the catcher.

Defensive strategy

Pitching

   The typical motion of a pitcher
   Enlarge
   The typical motion of a pitcher

   Effective pitching is vitally important to a baseball team, as pitching
   is the key for the defensive team to retire batters and to preventing
   runners from getting on base. A full game usually involves over one
   hundred pitches thrown by each team. However, most pitchers begin to
   tire before they reach this point. In previous eras, pitchers would
   often throw up to four complete games (all nine innings) in a week.
   With new advances in medical research and thus a better understanding
   of how the human body functions and tires out, starting pitchers tend
   more often to throw fractions of a game (typically 6 or 7 innings
   depending on their performance) about every five days (though a few
   complete games do still occur each year).

   Multiple pitchers are often needed in a single game, including the
   starting pitcher and relief pitcher(s). Pitchers are substituted for
   one another like any other player (see below), and the rules do not
   limit the number of pitchers that can be used in a game; the only
   limiting factor is the size of the squad, naturally. In general,
   starting pitchers are not used in relief situations except sometimes
   during the post-season when every game is vital. If a game runs into
   many extra innings, a team may well empty its bullpen. If it then
   becomes necessary to use a "position player" as a pitcher, major league
   teams generally have certain players pre-designated as emergency relief
   pitchers, to avoid the embarrassment of using a less skillful player.
   In baseball's early years, squads were smaller, and relief pitchers
   were relatively uncommon, with the starter normally remaining for the
   entire game unless he was either thoroughly ineffective or became
   injured; today, with a much greater emphasis on pitch count (100 being
   the "magic number" in general), over the course of a single game each
   team will frequently use from two to five pitchers. In the 2005 ALCS,
   all four of the Chicago White Sox victories were complete games by the
   starters, a highly noteworthy event in the modern game.

   Although a pitcher can only take one step backward and one forward, he
   has to step off the mound to throw over to first base if he is a right
   handed pitcher. While delivering the ball, the pitcher has a great
   arsenal at his disposal in the variation of location, velocity,
   movement, and arm location (see types of pitches). Most pitchers
   attempt to master two or three types of pitches; some pitchers throw up
   to 6 types of pitches with varying degrees of control. Common pitches
   include a fastball, which is the ball thrown at high speed; a
   curveball, which is made to curve by rotation imparted by the pitcher;
   and a change-up, which seeks to mimic the delivery of a fastball but
   arrives at significantly lower velocity.

   To illustrate pitching strategy, consider the "fastball/change-up"
   combination: The average major-league pitcher can throw a fastball
   around 90 miles per hour (145 km/h), and a few pitchers have even
   exceeded 100 miles per hour (161 km/h). The change-up is thrown
   somewhere between 75 to 85 miles per hour (121 to 137 km/h). Since the
   batter's timing is critical to hitting a pitch, a batter swinging to
   hit what looks like a fastball, would be terribly fooled (swing and
   miss, hopefully) when the pitch turns out to be a much slower
   change-up.

   Some pitchers choose to throw using the ' submarine style,' a very
   efficient sidearm or near-underhand motion. Pitchers with a submarine
   delivery are often very difficult to hit because of the angle and
   movement of the ball once released. Walter Johnson, who threw one of
   the fastest fastballs in the history of the game, threw sidearm (though
   not submarine) rather than a normal overhand. True underhanded pitching
   is permitted in Major League Baseball. However, it is difficult to
   generate enough velocity and movement with the underhand motion.

Fielding strategy

   Only the pitcher's and catcher's locations are fixed, and then only at
   the beginning of each pitch. Thus, the players on the field move around
   as needed to defend against scoring a run. Many variations of this are
   possible, as location depends upon the situation. Circumstances such as
   the number of outs, the count (balls and strikes) on the batter, the
   number and speed of runners, the ability of the fielders, the ability
   of the pitcher, the type of pitch thrown, and the inning cause the
   fielders move to more strategic locations on the field. Common
   defensive strategies include: playing for the bunt, trying to prevent a
   stolen base, moving to a shallow position to throw out a runner at
   home, playing at " double play depth", and moving fielders to locations
   where hitters are most likely to hit the ball.

Team at bat

Batters and runners

   The ultimate goal of the team at bat is to score runs. To accomplish
   this feat, the team at bat successively (in a predetermined order
   called a lineup or batting order) sends its nine players to the
   batter's box (adjacent to home plate) where they become batters. (Each
   team sets its batting lineup at the beginning of the game. Changes to
   the lineup are tightly limited by the rules of baseball and must be
   communicated to the umpires, who have the substitutions announced for
   the opposing team and fans. See Substitutions below.)

   A batter's turn at the plate is called a plate appearance or an "
   at-bat." Batters advance to the bases in a variety of ways: hits,
   walks, hit-by-pitch, and a few others. When the batter hits a fair
   ball, he must run to first base, and may continue or stop at any base
   unless he is put out. A successful hit occurs when the batter reaches a
   base: reaching only first base is a single; reaching second base, a
   double; third base, a triple; and a hit that allows the batter to touch
   all bases in order on the same play is a home run, whether the ball is
   hit over the fence. Once a runner is held to a base, he may attempt to
   advance at any time, but is not required to do so unless the batter or
   another runner displaces him (called a force play). A batter always
   drops his bat when running the bases— otherwise, the bat would slow him
   down and could give rise to a call of fielder to catch it on its
   descent. A line drive is like a fly ball, but the ball is hit with such
   force that its trajectory seems level to the ground. A batted ball
   which is not hit into the air, and which touches the ground within the
   infield before it can be caught, is called a ground ball. When a ball
   is hit outside the foul line, it is a foul ball, requiring the batter
   and all runners to return to their respective bases.

   Once the batter and any existing runners have all stopped at a base or
   been put out, the ball is returned to the pitcher, and the next batter
   comes to the plate. After the opposing team bats in its own order and
   three more outs are recorded, the first team's batting order will
   continue again from where it left off.

   When a runner reaches home plate, he scores a run and is no longer a
   base runner. He must leave the playing area until his spot in the order
   comes up again. A runner may only circle the bases once per plate
   appearance and thus can score no more than a single run.

Batting

   Each plate appearance consists of a series of pitches, in which the
   pitcher throws the ball towards home plate while a batter is standing
   in the batter's box. With each pitch, the batter must decide whether to
   swing the bat at the ball in an attempt to hit it. The pitches arrive
   quickly, so the decision to swing must be made in less than a tenth of
   a second, based on whether the ball is hittable and in the strike zone,
   a region defined by the area directly above home plate and between the
   hollow beneath the batter's knee and the midpoint between the top of
   the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants. In addition to swinging
   at the ball, a batter who wishes to put the ball in play may hold his
   bat over home plate and attempt to tap a pitch lightly; this is called
   a bunt. Good bunting technique has been described as "catching the ball
   with the bat."

   On any pitch, if the batter swings at the ball and misses, he is
   charged with a strike. If the batter does not swing, the home plate
   umpire judges whether the ball passed through the strike zone. If the
   ball, or any part of it, passed through the zone, it is ruled a strike;
   otherwise, it is called a ball. The number of balls and strikes thrown
   to the current batter is known as the count; the count is always given
   balls first (except in Japan, where it is reversed), then strikes (such
   as 3-2 or "three and two", also known as a "full count," which would be
   3 balls and 2 strikes).

   If the batter swings and makes contact with the ball, but does not put
   it in play in fair territory—a foul ball—he is charged with an
   additional strike, except when there are already two strikes. Thus, a
   foul ball with two strikes leaves the count unchanged. (However, a
   noted exception to this rule is that a ball bunted foul with two
   strikes always counts as a strike.) If a pitch is batted foul or fair
   and a member of the defensive team is able to catch it, before the ball
   strikes the ground, the batter is declared out. In the event that a bat
   contacts the ball, but the ball continues sharply and directly to the
   catcher's mitt and is caught by the catcher, it is a foul tip, which is
   same as an ordinary strike.

   When three strikes occur on a batter, it is a strikeout and the batter
   is automatically out unless the pitch is not caught by the catcher or
   if the pitch bounces before it is caught. It is then ruled a dropped
   third strike. (This is a violation of the third strike rule.) If the
   catcher drops the third strike the batter is permitted to attempt to
   advance to first base. In this case, the batter is not out (although
   the pitcher is awarded a strikeout). The catcher can try to get the
   batter out by tagging him with the ball or throwing the ball to first
   base and forcing him out. (See Doug Eddings/2005 ALCS and Mickey
   Owen/1941 World Series for famous examples of dropped third strikes
   that dramatically altered the course of post-season series'.)

   On the fourth ball the batter becomes a runner, and is entitled to
   advance to first base without risk of being put out, called a base on
   balls or a walk (abbreviated BB). If a pitch touches the batter, the
   umpire declares a hit by pitch (abbreviated HBP) and the batter is
   awarded first base, unless the umpire determines that the ball was in
   the strike zone when it hit the batter, or that the batter did not
   attempt to avoid being hit. In practice, neither exception is ever
   called unless the batter obviously tries to get hit by the pitch; even
   standing still in the box will virtually always be overlooked, and the
   batter awarded first. If the catcher's mitt, catcher's mask, or any
   part of the catcher comes in contact with the batter and/or the
   batter's bat as the batter is attempting to hit a pitch, the batter is
   awarded first base, ruled "catcher's interference."

Baserunning

   Once a batter becomes a runner and reaches first base safely, he is
   said to be "on" that base until he attempts to advance to the next
   base, until he is put out, or until the half-inning ends. When
   comparing two or more runners on the basepaths, the runner farther
   along is called a lead runner or a preceding runner; the other runner
   is called a trailing runner or a following runner . Runners on second
   or third base are considered to be in scoring position since ordinary
   hits, even singles, will often allow them to score.

   A runner legally touching a base is "safe"—he may not be put out.
   Runners may attempt to advance from base to base at any time (except
   when the ball is dead), but must attempt to advance when forced--when
   all previous bases are occupied and the batter becomes a runner. When a
   ball is hit in the air, a fly ball, and caught by the defending team,
   runners must return and touch the base they occupied at the time of the
   pitch—called tagging up—after the ball is first touched. Once they do
   this, they may attempt to advance at their own risk.

   Only one runner may occupy a base at a time; if two runners are
   touching a base at once, the trailing runner is in jeopardy and will be
   out if tagged, unless he was forced--in which case the lead runner is
   out when tagged for failing to reach his force base. Either such
   occurrence is very rare. Thus, after a play, at most three runners may
   be on the basepaths, one on each base--first, second, and third. When
   three runners are on base, this is called bases loaded.
   Pick-off attempt on runner (in red) at first base
   Enlarge
   Pick-off attempt on runner (in red) at first base

   Baserunners may attempt to advance, or steal a base, while the pitcher
   is throwing a pitch. The pitcher, in lieu of delivering the pitch, may
   try to prevent this by throwing the ball to one of the infielders in
   order to tag the runner; if successful, it is called a pick-off. If the
   runner attempts to steal the next base but is tagged out before
   reaching it safely, he is caught stealing. An illegal attempt by the
   pitcher to deceive a runner, among other pitching violations, is called
   a balk, allowing the runners to advance one base without risk of being
   put out.

   Another fundamental tenet of the rules of baseball is that a runner
   originally ruled out can subsequently be ruled safe, but once a runner
   is ruled safe he cannot be called out on the same play. A runner
   initially called out can be subsequently ruled safe if the fielder
   putting the runner out drops the ball (on either a tag or force play),
   pulls his foot off the base (in the case of a force play), or otherwise
   illegally obstructs a runner from reaching a base that he otherwise
   would have reached safely.

Batting and base running strategy

   The goal of each batter is to become a base runner himself (by a base
   hit, a base on balls, being hit by the pitch, a fielding error, or
   fielder's choice) or to help move other base runners along (by
   sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, or hit and run).

   Batters attempt to "read" pitchers through pre-game preparation by
   studying the tendencies of pitchers and by talking to other batters
   that previously faced the pitcher. While batting, batters attempt to
   "read" pitches by looking for clues that the pitcher or catcher reveal.
   These clues (also referred to as "tipping pitches") include movements
   of the pitchers arms, shoulders, body, etc, or the positioning of the
   catcher's feet and glove. Batters can attempt to "read" the spin of a
   ball early in the pitch to anticipate its trajectory. Batters also
   remain keenly aware of the count during their at bat. The count is
   considered to be in the batter's favor when there are more balls than
   strikes (e.g.two balls and no strikes). This puts pressure on the
   pitcher to throw a strike to avoid a walk so the batter is more likely
   to get an easier pitch to hit and can look for a particular pitch in a
   particular zone or take a riskier or bigger swing. The count is
   considered to be in the pitcher's favour when there are fewer balls
   than strikes (e.g. no balls and two strikes). This gives the pitcher
   more freedom to try enticing the batter to swing at a pitch outside the
   strike zone or throwing a pitch that is harder to control (e.g. a
   curve, slider or splitter), but that is also harder to hit. Thus the
   batter will take a more protective swing. A major strategy in batting
   at competitive levels of baseball is patient hitting. An example of
   patient hitting is when a batter has a zero strike count the batter
   will almost always look for his perfect pitch. One strike hitting is
   very similar to no strike hitting and the batter usually is still
   looking for a good pitch to hit. Two strike hitting, the strategy is
   changed where the batter will protect the plate by fouling off pitches
   until the batter is able to find a pitch to hit. This style of hitting
   is known as patience at the plate. This style of hitting allows the
   hitter to look for a good pitch to hit and make the pitcher throw more
   pitches so that the pitcher will tire out faster. This is critical if
   the batting team is facing a very skilled pitcher who if allowed to
   will take over the game with his ability to get batters to do what he
   wants them to do with the pitches that he makes.

   In general, base running is a tactical part of the game requiring good
   judgment by runners (and their coaches) to assess the risk in
   attempting to advance. During tag plays, a good slide can affect the
   outcome of the play. Managers will sometimes simultaneously send a
   runner and require the batter to swing (a hit-and-run play) in an
   attempt to advance runners. Often, on a hit-and-run play the batter
   will try to "hit behind the runner" by hitting the ball to right field
   which makes it more likely that the runner will be able to make it to
   third base, thus taking an extra base.

   A batter can also attempt to move a baserunner forward by "sacrificing"
   his at-bat. This can be done by bunting the ball, hitting a fly ball
   far enough in the air that a baserunner can advance after the catch, or
   simply making contact with the ball on a hit-and-run play.

   During the course of play many offensive and defensive players run
   close to each other, and during tag plays, the defensive player must
   touch the offensive player. Although baseball is considered a
   non-contact sport, a runner may be allowed to make potentially
   dangerous contact with a fielder as part of an attempt to reach base,
   unless that fielder is fielding a batted ball. (Noted exceptions to the
   dangerous contact rule are found throughout amateur competitions,
   including youth leagues, high school, and college baseball.) A good
   slide is often more advantageous than such contact, and "malicious"
   contact by runners is typically prohibited as offensive interference.
   The most common occurrence of contact of this nature is at home plate
   between the runner and the catcher, as the catcher is well padded and
   locked into position that completely blocks home plate from the runner,
   and the runner will often try to knock the ball out of the catchers
   hand by running him over. Since the catcher is seen (symbolically and
   literally) as the last line of defense, it seems natural that the more
   physical play happens here.

Innings and determining a winner

   An inning consists of each team having one turn in the field and one
   turn to hit, with the visiting team batting before the home team. A
   standard game lasts nine innings, although some leagues (such as high
   school baseball and Little League) play fewer. The team with the most
   runs at the end of the game wins. If the home team is ahead after
   eight-and-a-half innings have been played, it is declared the winner,
   and the last half-inning is not played. If the home team is trailing or
   tied in the ninth inning or beyond and they score to take the lead, the
   game ends as soon as the winning run touches home plate; however, if
   the last batter hits a home run to win the game, he and any runners on
   base are all permitted to score.

   If both teams have scored the same number of runs at the end of a
   regular-length game, a tie is avoided by the addition of extra innings.
   As many innings as necessary are played until one team has the lead at
   the end of an inning. Thus, the home team always has a chance to
   respond if the visiting team scores in the top half of the inning; this
   gives the home team a small tactical advantage. In theory, a baseball
   game could go on forever; in practice, however, they eventually end. In
   addition to that rule, a game might theoretically end if both the home
   and away team were to run out of players to substitute (See
   Substitutions). In Major League Baseball the longest game played was a
   26-inning affair between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves on May
   1, 1920. The game ended in a 1-1 tie called on account of darkness. Two
   minor-league teams, the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings,
   played a 33-inning game in 1981.

   In Major League Baseball, games end with tie scores only because
   conditions have made it impossible to continue play. A tie game does
   not count as an official game in the standings unless it is finished
   later or replayed; however, individual player statistics from tie games
   are counted. Inclement weather may also shorten games, but at least
   five innings must be played for the game to be considered official;
   four-and-a-half innings are enough if the home team is ahead.
   Previously, curfews and the absence of adequate lighting caused more
   ties and shortened games. Also, with more modern playing surfaces
   better able to handle light rains, the process for calling or
   shortening a game due to weather has changed; it is more common than in
   the past to delay a game as much as 2 hours before a cancellation;
   also, a delay usually does not occur anymore until the rain is
   moderate-heavy and/or there is standing water on some part of the
   playing field.

   In Japanese baseball, if the score remains tied after nine innings, up
   to three extra innings may be played before the game is called a tie.
   Some youth or amateur leagues will end a game early if one team is
   ahead by ten or more runs, a practice known as the "mercy rule" or "
   slaughter rule". Rarely, a game can also be won or lost by forfeit.

   There is a short break between each half-inning during which the new
   defensive team takes the field and the pitcher warms up. Traditionally,
   the break between the top half and the bottom half of the seventh
   inning is known as the seventh-inning stretch. During the "stretch,"
   fans in the United States often sing the chorus of " Take Me Out to the
   Ball Game;" since the September 11, 2001 attacks, "God Bless America"
   has often been added to it.

Substitutions

   Each team is allowed to substitute for any player at any time the ball
   is dead. A batter who replaces another batter is referred to as a pinch
   hitter; similarly, a pinch runner may be used as a replacement for a
   baserunner. Any player who replaces another player between innings is
   known as a "defensive replacement". Any replacement is a permanent
   substitution; the replaced player may not return to the game.

   It is common for a pitcher to pitch for several innings and then be
   removed in favour of a relief pitcher. Because pitching is a
   specialized skill, most pitchers are relatively poor hitters; it is
   common to substitute for a pitcher when he is due to bat. This pinch
   hitter is typically then replaced by a relief pitcher when the team
   returns to the field on defense, but more complicated substitutions are
   possible, most notably the double switch.

   Many amateur leagues allow a starting player who was removed to return
   to the game in the same position in the batting order under a re-entry
   rule. Youth leagues often allow free and open substitution to encourage
   player participation.

   A few leagues, notably Major League Baseball's American League, allow a
   designated hitter, a player whose sole purpose is to hit when it would
   normally be the pitcher's turn. This is not considered a substitution
   but rather a position, albeit a purely offensive one. A designated
   hitter does not play in the field on defense and may remain in the game
   regardless of changes in pitchers. The use of the designated hitter is
   opposed by many baseball traditionalists, but it is used today at most
   levels of baseball in the United States—high school, college, minor
   leagues—and internationally, including in the Olympics.

Rosters

   The number of players on a Major League roster is dictated by the labor
   agreements worked out between players and management. According to
   Major League Baseball, a team may have a maximum of 25 men on a roster
   from Opening Day until August 31. After that, teams may call up
   additional personnel, up to a maximum of 40 players on the active
   roster, with the exception of the postseason, where rosters are fixed
   at 25 men.

Other personnel

   Any baseball game involves one or more umpires, who make rulings on the
   outcome of each play. At a minimum, one umpire will stand behind the
   catcher, to have a good view of the strike zone, and call each pitch a
   ball or a strike. Additional umpires may be stationed near the bases,
   thus making it easier to see plays in the field. In Major League
   Baseball, four umpires are used for each game, one near each base. In
   the all-star game and playoffs, six umpires are used: one at each base
   and two in the outfield along either foul line.

Baseball's unique style

   Baseball is unique among American sports in several ways. This
   uniqueness is a large part of its longstanding appeal and strong
   association with the American psyche. The philosopher Morris Raphael
   Cohen described baseball as a national religion. Many people believe
   that baseball is the ultimate combination of skill, timing,
   athleticism, and strategy. Yogi Berra (a Hall of Fame baseball player)
   once said, "Baseball is 90% mental—the other half is physical."
   Although these elements all contribute to baseball's appeal in American
   culture, they are also shared by its cousin game cricket. In many
   Commonwealth nations, cricket and the culture surrounding it hold a
   similar place and affection to baseball's role in American culture.

   The lure of baseball is in its subtleties: situational defense, pitch
   location, pitch sequence, statistics, ball parks, history, and player
   personalities. It's been noted that the game itself has no time limit,
   and its playing surface, rather than rigidly rectangular and
   standardized, extends theoretically to eternity from a single point
   (home plate) to beyond its own fences (if only a batter could hit a
   ball hard enough to break the escape velocity of Earth). For the avid
   fan, the game—even during its slowest points—is never boring because of
   these nuances. Therefore, a full appreciation of baseball naturally
   requires some knowledge of the rules; it also requires deep observation
   of those endearing and enduring qualities that give baseball its unique
   style.

Time element

   Basketball, ice hockey, American football, and soccer all use a clock,
   and games often end by a team killing the clock rather than competing
   directly against the opposing team. In contrast, baseball has no clock;
   a team cannot win without getting the last batter out and rallies are
   not constrained by time.

   In recent decades, observers have criticized professional baseball for
   the length of its games, with some justification as the time required
   to play a baseball game has increased steadily through the years. One
   hundred years ago, games typically took an hour and a half to play; in
   2004, the average major league baseball game lasted 2 hours and 47
   minutes. This is due to longer breaks between half-innings for
   television commercials, increased offense, more pitching changes, and a
   slower pace of play.

   In response, Major League Baseball has instructed umpires to be
   stricter in enforcing speed-up rules and the size of the strike zone.
   Although the official rules specify that when the bases are empty, the
   pitcher should deliver the ball within 12 seconds of receiving it (with
   the penalty of a ball called if he fails to do so), this rule is
   rarely, if ever, enforced. The umpire also has the option of calling a
   balk if there are runners on base, but is also rarely, if ever,
   enforced.

Individual and team

   Baseball is fundamentally a team sport—even two or three Hall of
   Fame-caliber players are no guarantee of a pennant—yet it places
   individual players under great pressure and scrutiny. The pitcher must
   make good pitches or risk losing the game; the hitter has a mere
   fraction of a second to decide what pitch has been thrown and whether
   to swing at it. While their respective managers and/or coaches can
   sometimes signal players regarding the strategies the manager wants to
   employ, no one can help the pitcher while he pitches or the hitter
   while he bats. If the batter hits a line drive, the outfielder, as the
   last line of defense, makes the lone decision to try to catch it or
   play it on the bounce. Baseball's history is full of heroes and
   goats—men who in the heat of the moment (the "clutch") distinguished
   themselves with a timely hit or catch, or an untimely strikeout or
   error.

The uniqueness of each baseball park

   The main scoreboard at Wrigley Field. This photo was taken during the
   August 27, 2005 Cubs-Marlins game.
   Enlarge
   The main scoreboard at Wrigley Field. This photo was taken during the
   August 27, 2005 Cubs- Marlins game.

   Unlike the majority of sports, baseball parks do not have to follow a
   strict set of guidelines. With the exception of the strict rules on the
   dimensions of the infield, discussed above, the official rules simply
   state that fields built after June 1, 1958 must have a minimum distance
   of 325 feet (99 m) from home plate to the fences in left and right
   field and 400 (121 m) feet to centre. This rule (a footnote to official
   rule 1.04) was passed specifically in response to the fence at the Los
   Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was not originally designed for
   baseball, and thus was only 251 feet (77 m) to the left field pole (1
   foot (0.3 m) over the bare minimum required by the rules). However,
   major league teams often skirt this rule. For example, Minute Maid
   Park's left field is only 315 feet (96 m), and with a fence much lower
   than the famous "Green Monster" at Fenway Park. And there are no rules
   at all regulating the height of "fences, stands or other obstructions",
   other than the assumption that they exist. Because of this flexibility,
   there are all sorts of variations in parks, from different lengths to
   the fences to uneven playing surfaces to massive or minimal amounts of
   foul territory. All of these factors, as well as local variations in
   altitude, climate and game scheduling, can affect the nature of the
   games played at those ballparks, and a park may be referred to as
   either a "pitcher's park" or a "hitter's park", depending on which side
   benefits more from the unique factors present. Chicago's Wrigley Field,
   strangely enough, can be either, depending on the wind direction at any
   given time. This is due to Chicago's direct relationship with Lake
   Michigan. Anytime the wind blows in, it causes drag on the baseball
   leading to more fly ball outs. In contrast, when the wind blows out,
   home runs are more likely to reach the streets.

Statistics

   As with many sports, and perhaps even more so, statistics are very
   important to baseball. Statistics have been kept for the Major Leagues
   since their creation, and presumably statistics were around even before
   that. General managers, baseball scouts, managers, and players alike
   study player statistics to help them choose various strategies to best
   help their team.

   Traditionally, statistics like batting average for batters—the number
   of hits divided by the number of at bats—and earned run
   average—approximately the number of runs given up by a pitcher per nine
   innings—have governed the statistical world of baseball. However, the
   advent of sabermetrics has brought an onslaught of new statistics that
   perhaps better gauge a player's performance and contributions to his
   team from year to year.

   Some sabermetrics have entered the mainstream baseball statistic world.
   On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a somewhat complicated formula that some
   say gauges a hitter's performance better than batting average. It
   combines the hitter's on base percentage—hits plus walks plus hit by
   pitches divided by at bats plus bases on balls plus hit by pitches plus
   sacrifice flies—with their slugging percentage— total bases divided by
   at bats. Walks plus hits per inning pitched (or WHIP) gives a good
   representation of a pitcher's abilities; it is calculated exactly as
   its name suggests.

   Also important are more specific statistics for particular situations.
   For example, a certain hitter's ability to hit left-handed pitchers
   might cause his manager to give him more chances to face lefties. Some
   hitters hit better with runners in scoring position, so an opposing
   manager, knowing this statistic, might elect to intentionally walk him
   in order to face a poorer hitter.

Popularity

   Baseball is most popular in East Asia and the Americas, although in
   South America its popularity is mainly limited to the northern portion
   of the continent. In Japan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba,
   Panama, Venezuela, Nicaragua, South Korea, and Taiwan, it is one of the
   most popular sports. The United States is the birthplace of baseball,
   where it has long been regarded as more than just a " major sport"; for
   many decades, it has been popularly referred to as the " national
   pastime" and Major League Baseball has been given a unique monopoly
   status by the United States Congress. Although the three most popular
   professional team sports in the United States are ball games—baseball,
   basketball and American football—baseball's historical popularity was
   so great that even today the word "ballgame" in the United States
   almost always refers to a game of baseball (except in the South, where
   the word is also used in association with football), and "ballpark"
   invariably refers to a baseball field.

   Baseball has often been a barometer of the fabled American "melting
   pot", as immigrants from different regions have tried to "make good" in
   various areas including sports. In the 19th century, baseball was
   populated with many players of Irish or German extraction. A number of
   Native Americans had successful careers especially in the early 1900s.
   Italians and Poles appeared on many rosters during the 1920s and 1930s.
   Black Americans came on strong starting in the late 1940s after the
   barriers had been lifted, and continue to form a significant
   contingent. By the 1960s, Hispanics had started to make the scene, and
   had become a dominant force by the 1990s. In the 21st century, East
   Asians have been appearing in increasing numbers.

   While baseball is perhaps the most popular sport in the United States
   and is certainly one of the two most popular along with football, it is
   difficult to determine which is more popular because of the wide
   discrepancy in number of games per season. For example, the total
   attendance for major league games is roughly equal to that of all other
   American professional team sports combined, but football gets higher
   television ratings, both a function in part of the long (162-game)
   baseball season and short (16-game) football season. According to
   Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig both revenue and attendance are
   currently higher than at any previous point in the history of the game.

Organized leagues

   Baseball is played at a number of levels, by amateur and professionals,
   and by the young and the old. Youth programs use modified versions of
   adult and professional baseball rules, which may include a smaller
   field, easier pitching (from a coach, a tee, or a machine), less
   contact, base running restrictions, limitations on innings a pitcher
   can throw, liberal balk rules, and run limitations, among others. Since
   rules vary from location-to-location and among the organizations,
   coverage of the nuances in those rules is beyond this article.

   Following is a list of organized leagues:
     * Youth Leagues
          + Little League
          + Pony Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Washington,
            Pennsylvania (USA).
          + Dizzy Dean Baseball a youth program in the USA.
          + American Legion Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in
            Indianapolis, IN.
          + USSSA Baseball a youth and adult program, headquartered in
            Kansas City, Missouri (USA).
          + Ripken Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Baltimore,
            Maryland (USA).
          + Babe Ruth League, a youth program, headquartered in Trenton,
            New Jersey (USA).
          + Khoury League, a youth program, headquartered in St. Louis,
            Missouri (USA).

     * High School
          + In the USA, the National Federation of State High School
            Associations (NFHS) and each state association governs the
            play of baseball at the high school level.
     * Collegiate Level
          + NCAA, including NCAA Division I and the College World Series
          + NAIA, including the NAIA Baseball World Series
          + List of Collegiate Summer Baseball Leagues
          + National Club Baseball Association (NCBA)
     * International Competition
          + Many international baseball events are coordinated by the
            International Baseball Federation, including The World Cup and
            The World Baseball Classic.
          + As an Olympic sport, see earlier section on the status of
            baseball in the Olympic games, and the article " Baseball at
            the Summer Olympics."
     * Semi-professional baseball
          + National Semi-Pro Baseball Association
     * Professional baseball
          + Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada;
          + Minor League baseball in the United States and Canada;
          + Independent Baseball
          + Negro League baseball, defunct since 1958, in the United
            States.
          + All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
          + Greek Baseball
          + British Baseball Federation
          + Irish Baseball
          + Mexican Baseball
          + Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League
          + Japanese Baseball
          + China Baseball Association
          + Taiwan professional baseball
          + Korean Baseball Organization (KBO)
          + Australian Baseball
          + Israel Baseball League
          + There are also smaller professional leagues in Italy, Germany,
            the Netherlands, and many others.

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