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<small>''This article is about the game of '''baseball'''. For other uses, see [[Baseball (disambiguation)]]</small>
<small>''This article is about the game of '''baseball'''. For other uses, see [[Baseball (disambiguation)]]</small>
[[Image:Busch Stadium.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A professional baseball game at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri.]]
'''Baseball''' is an outdoor sport played between two teams of nine players each, with the object of the game for the offensive player to hit the ball with a wooden bat in such a manner as to allow that player to successfully touch each base on a running circuit and scoring a point at the run's completion at home plate. Extremely popular within the United States, Japan, and Latin America, baseball is played everywhere from neighborhood sandlots and city streets to its culmination in a best-of-seven championship World Series between two professional teams of the American and National Leagues of Major League Baseball.
Baseball has been intertwined within American life and culture like no other sport has. It has given us record-setting heroes, many of which are still talked about over a century later. It has given rise to movies, songs, books, magazines, and a lexicon of words and phrases which are part of everyday life.
'''Baseball''', is a [[game]] in which nine active players on each [[team]] (except for those teams having [[designated hitter]]s) take turns playing defense on the field and batting one at a time. The object is for the batters to hit a ball thrown by the [[pitcher]] into "fair" territory such that it is not caught in the air and gives the batter time to run to a base. The offense strives to advance these baserunners until they circle the three [[infield]] bases in order and get to the fourth base, called "home". This results in the scoring of a run. Failing to reach a base during their batting attempt results in an out, and the offense is only allowed three outs before they must take the field once again. Each team is allowed nine of these "innings" during the course of the game, an exception being that a team does not bat a ninth time if they are winning after the other teams ninth attempt. If the game is tied after nine innings, additional innings are played until there is a winner.
==Description==
Baseball is played on a field which is roughly diamond-shaped, with the wide end serving as the outfield. The infield consists of a square, each side of the square 90 feet long. The narrow end of the square is the point furthest from the outfield fence at center field, which can be anywhere from 250 to 400 feet away; this point on the square serves as home plate. The remaining corners serves as first, second, and third bases, running counterclockwise from home plate. Within the center of the square - 60 feet, 6 inches away - is the pitcher's mound.
Baseball is one of the very few sports in which the defense controls the ball. All nine defensive players are on the field during play: three in the outfield (left, center, and right fields); four in the infield (first, second, and third basemen, and shortstop); the catcher behind home plate, and the pitcher on the mound. The single offensive player takes his place within a batter's box on either side of home plate, and with a bat attempts to hit the ball thrown to him by the pitcher into "fair" territory such that it is not caught in the air and gives the batter time to run to a base. The offense strives to advance these baserunners until they circle the three [[infield]] bases in order and get back to home plate, resulting in the scoring of a run. The only offensive players on the field at any other time besides the batter are those who successfully made it onto one of the three bases.
A baseball game is divided into nine innings; each inning consists of both teams having their turns at bat. A "strike" is called when the batter swings and misses a fairly-thrown ball; three strikes results in an "out", which in its basic description means the failure of the batter to reach base. Three outs ends that team's attempt during the inning, and they must go to the field for defense. Each team is allowed nine of these "innings" during the course of the game; if the game is tied after nine innings, additional innings are played until there is a winner.
===Equipment===
[[Image:Baseball worn.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A well-used baseball]]
The baseball itself is 9-9.25 inches in circumference, and weighs between 5-5.25 oz. The core is made of rubber and cork, wound tightly with woolen yarn, and sealed with a two-piece leather casing closed off with 108 double-stitches in waxed red thread<ref>http://baseballtips.com/weblog/how-many-stitches-does-a-baseball-have-2/</ref>.
The bat is made of wood - primarily ash - and is up to 2.75 inches thick at the striking end, and up to 42 inches long. At one time in professional games aluminum bats were used; they have since been removed, and are sometimes used during amatuer games. In a version of baseball known as "stickball" played by kids in some inner cities, the bat consists of little more than a broom handle.
Defensive players wear a baseball glove, or mitt. Made of leather, seven players wear a version with looks like an over-sized hand with the fingers sewn together, and a basket of leather between the first finger and thumb. Fingerless, rounded versions are worn by the first baseman and catcher; the catcher's mitt having the addition of heavy padding within the glove. That, plus the chest and knee protectors, and steel face mask, ensures the catcher has protection against the pitcher's fastball, which can be in excess of 90 miles per hour.
==History==
==History==
The umpire's hand signals for "strike" and "out" were invented by deaf baseball player William "Dummy" Hoy (1861-1961)<ref>[http://library.gallaudet.edu/dr/faq-deaf-place-names.html Deaf Place Names]</ref>
The umpire's hand signals for "strike" and "out" were invented by deaf baseball player William "Dummy" Hoy (1861-1961)<ref>[http://library.gallaudet.edu/dr/faq-deaf-place-names.html Deaf Place Names]</ref>
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