Editing Baseball (section)

{{Short description|Bat-and-ball game}}
{{About|the sport|the ball used in the sport|Baseball (ball)|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Base ball|old time baseball|Vintage base ball}}
{{Pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox sport
|name       = Baseball
|image      = File:Tommy Milone gives up a home run to Mike Trout on May 21, 2017.jpg
|imagesize  = 300px
|caption    = [[Los Angeles Angels]] center fielder [[Mike Trout]] hits a [[home run]] on a pitch from [[New York Mets]] pitcher [[Tommy Milone]] on May 21, 2017.
|union      = [[World Baseball Softball Confederation]]
|nickname   =
|first      = 18th-century [[England]] (predecessors)<br />19th-century [[United States]] (modern version)
|registered =
|type       = [[Team sport]], [[bat-and-ball games|bat-and-ball]]
|venue      = [[Baseball park]]<br />[[Baseball field]]
|glossary   = [[Glossary of baseball terms]]
|region     = Worldwide (most prominent in the Americas and East Asia)<!-- According to [[Template:Infobox sport]], this section is suppose to list ALL geographic areas the sport is present in the broadest possible terms. -->
|contact    = [[Contact sport#Tagging-only|Tagging-only]]
|clubs      =
|equipment  = [[Baseball (ball)|Baseball]] <br /> [[Baseball bat]] <br /> [[Baseball glove]]<br />[[Batting helmet]]<br />[[Catcher|Catcher's gear]]
|team       = 9 baseballers:<br>[[pitcher]]<br>[[catcher]]<br>[[first baseman]]<br>[[second baseman]]<br>[[third baseman]]<br>[[shortstop]]<br>[[left fielder]]<br>[[center fielder]]<br>[[right fielder]]
|mgender    = Yes, separate competitions
|category   = [[Bat-and-ball games|Bat-and-ball]]
|olympic    = [[Demonstration sport]]: [[Baseball at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912]], [[Baseball at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936]], [[Pesäpallo at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952]], [[Baseball at the 1956 Summer Olympics|1956]], [[Baseball at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964]], [[Baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984]] and [[Baseball at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]<br />Medal sport: [[Baseball at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992]]–[[Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008]], [[Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]
|IWGA       = [[1981 World Games|1981]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Sargis|first=Joe|title=The World Games slipped out of town Monday, quietly...|publisher=United Press International|date=August 3, 1981|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/08/03/The-World-Games-slipped-out-of-town-Monday-quietly/8794365659200/|access-date=August 13, 2018}}</ref>
}}

{{HistBaseball nav}}

'''Baseball''' is a [[bat-and-ball games|bat-and-ball]] [[sport]] played between two [[team sport|teams]] of nine players each, taking turns [[batting (baseball)|batting]] and [[Fielding (baseball)|fielding]]. The game occurs over the course of several [[Pitch (baseball)|plays]], with each play beginning when a player on the [[fielding team (baseball)|fielding team]], called the [[pitcher]], throws a [[Baseball (ball)|ball]] that a player on the [[batting team (baseball)|batting team]], called the [[Batter (baseball)|batter]], tries to hit with a [[baseball bat|bat]]. The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the [[Base (baseball)|bases]], having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "[[Run (baseball)|runs]]". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming [[Base running|runners]], and to prevent runners [[base running|advancing around the bases]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.mlb.com/documents/2/2/4/305750224/2019_Official_Baseball_Rules_FINAL_.pdf|title=''Official Baseball Rules''|publisher=Major League Baseball|edition=2019|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502205240/https://content.mlb.com/documents/2/2/4/305750224/2019_Official_Baseball_Rules_FINAL_.pdf|archive-date=May 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter).

The initial objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base [[safe (baseball)|safely]]; this  occurs either when the batter hits the ball and reaches first base [[Force play|before]] an opponent retrieves the ball and touches the base, or when the pitcher persists in throwing the ball [[Base on balls|out of the batter's reach]]. Players on the batting team who reach first base without being called "[[Out (baseball)|out]]" can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or during teammates' turns batting. The fielding team tries to prevent runs by using the ball to get batters or runners "out", which forces them out of the field of play. The pitcher can get the batter out by throwing three [[Pitch (baseball)|pitches]] which result in [[Strike (baseball)|strikes]], while fielders can get the batter out by [[Catch (baseball)|catching]] a batted ball before it touches the ground, and can get a runner out by [[Tag out|tagging]] them with the ball while the runner is not touching a base.

The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding; the batting team's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs. One turn batting for each team constitutes an [[inning]]. A game is usually composed of nine innings, and the team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. Most games end after the ninth inning, but if scores are tied at that point, [[extra innings]] are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, though some competitions feature [[Pace of play|pace-of-play]] regulations such as a [[pitch clock]] to shorten game time.

Baseball [[Origins of baseball|evolved from older bat-and-ball games]] already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, [[History of baseball in the United States|where the modern version developed]]. Baseball's American origins, as well as its reputation as a source of [[escapism]] during troubled points in American history such as the [[American Civil War]] and the [[Great Depression]], have led the sport to receive the moniker of "America's Pastime"; since the late 19th century, it has been unofficially recognized as the [[national sport]] of the [[Baseball in the United States|United States]], though in modern times is considered [[Sports in the United States#Most popular sports in the United States|less popular than other sports]], such as [[American football]]. In addition to [[North America]], baseball spread throughout the rest of the Americas and the Asia–Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bjarkman |first=Peter C. |date=2006-09-01 |title=American Baseball Imperialism, Clashing National Cultures, and the Future of Samurai Besuboru |url=https://studiesonasia.scholasticahq.com/article/14327-american-baseball-imperialism-clashing-national-cultures-and-the-future-of-samurai-besuboru |journal=Studies on Asia |language=en |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=123–140 |quote=Formal league baseball has long thrived in amateur and professional play around the world, especially in the Caribbean Basin and along the Asian-Pacific Rim. Its history in those regions is every bit as ancient and deep-rooted as it is on the North American continent."}}</ref> and is now considered the most popular sport in parts of [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], the [[Caribbean]], and [[East Asia]], particularly in [[Baseball in Japan|Japan]], [[Baseball in South Korea|South Korea]], and [[Sports in Taiwan#Baseball|Taiwan]].

In [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), the highest level of [[professional baseball]] in the United States and Canada, teams are divided into the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) and [[American League]] (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The MLB champion is determined by [[Major League Baseball postseason|playoffs]] that culminate in the [[World Series]]. The top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the [[Central League|Central]] and [[Pacific League]]s and in Cuba between the [[Cuban National Series|West League and East League]]. The [[World Baseball Classic]], organized by the [[World Baseball Softball Confederation]], is the major international competition of the sport and attracts the top national teams from around the world. Baseball was played [[Baseball at the Summer Olympics|at the Olympic Games]] from 1992 to 2008, and was reinstated on a one-off basis in 2020.