A bat-and-ball team sport in which players score runs by hitting a pitched ball and rounding four bases.
Origin and rules
Baseball emerged from older bat-and-ball games in the mid-19th-century United States, with rules codified by Alexander Cartwright in 1845. Two teams alternate at bat and in the field, with the batting side trying to score runs.
How it plays
A game lasts nine innings, with each team batting until three outs end its turn. A pitcher throws to a batter, who tries to strike the ball into the field and run safely to first base or beyond. A complete circuit scores a run.
Competition
Major League Baseball is the top professional league, splitting into the American and National Leagues and finishing with the World Series. Nippon Professional Baseball is dominant in Japan. Baseball returned to the Olympics in 2020.
Find more sports by letter
Baseball starts with B and ends with L. Browse other sports along the same letter.
Sports that contain a letter from "Baseball":