Athletic Gear and Equipment: Baseball

Baseball has long been referred to as America's "National Pastime" (or "National Game")—as early as the 19th century. Its exact roots are not well-defined, but most believe that the game of baseball we know today has evolved from other pastimes such as cricket and rounders. Legends of the baseball leagues include Cap Anson, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth.

Playing the Game

Baseball calls for two teams consisting of nine players each, as well as a number of officials called umpires. The playing field is made up of the infield and the outfield. In the infield are four bases, one at each point of a 90x90 foot square called the baseball diamond: the first base, the second base, the third base, and the home base. The outfield is the area beyond the infield's grass line and is bounded by the foul lines and the wall or fence of the baseball playing field.

The object of the game is to score the most number of runs. The goal of an offensive team (the batting team) is to score as many runs as possible during the half-inning in which they bat. This is done by hitting a pitched ball with a bat, in which the batter becomes a base runner. The goal of a base runner is to go through each base and reach the home base to score a run. A batter-turned-base runner may take several plays to reach home base as he has to avoid getting put out; consequently, there may be several players occupying the bases when a new batter steps up to the plate. A base runner must be at a base he is entitled do before any opponent catches the ball and tags him out.

The goal of the opposing, defensive team (the pitchers, catchers, and basemen) is to have three outs for the batting team. A player is put out in several ways: three strikeouts, catching a batted ball in the air, a tag out, or a force out. The pitcher throws the ball to the batter in a way that the batter must not be able to hit it properly, or, at all.

After nine innings (or less, depending on the type of game played), each consisting of three outs per team, the game ends. In the case of a tie, extra innings "shall continue until (1) the visiting team has scored more total runs than the home team at the end of a completed inning; or (2) the home team scores the winning run in an uncompleted inning."