Lady Loves Pinstripes

Ok, it is time to learn the basics of what goes on in a baseball game, and to make it easier for the newbie it will be split into two posts, over two weeks.

Part One will cover the bare bones about # of games, game break down and how a batter can get on base.

THE SEASON

Baseball season starts in February and ends in October, consisting of three segments, preseason, regular season and post-season.

1. Pre-season or Spring Training starts in February.
2. Regular Season starts the first week in April, ending in late September – early October.
3. Post-Season or Playoffs takes up the month of October, finishing up with the World Series.

There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball.

In a regular season each team plays 162 games.*

A GAME

• Each team uses nine players in a game.
• A baseball game is played for nine innings.*
• Each inning lasts through both teams having a chance at bat and in the field.
• To start the game, the visiting team will be up at bat first while the home team takes the field.
• The team at bat hits through three outs and then the teams switch.

UP AT BAT

• The goal of the game is to score runs.
• In order to score a run the batter must safely touch first, second, and third bases and end back at home plate.
• There are many ways to score runs and for batters to get on a base. Here are the basics:

1. SINGLE: a batter makes it safely to first base.
2. DOUBLE: a batter makes it safely to second base without stopping.
3. TRIPLE: a the batter makes it safely to third base without stopping.
4. HOMERUN: a batter makes it safely around all bases, and back to home without stopping.
5. GRAND-SLAM: is a homerun, when all the bases are already occupied with a runner, or when the bases or loaded.
6. WALK: when the batter is pitched four balls, automatically sending him to first base.
7. HIT BY PITCH: the pitcher hits the batter with the ball, automatically allowing him to go to first base.
8. ERROR: is when the fielding team makes a mistake (bad throw ir dropping a ball) thus allowing the batter to safely make it to a base. Recorded as an error by the fielder, no credit for a hit given to the batter.

* exception of tied record within a divison where an additional game is played to determine post-season spot.

* in the event of a tied score at the end of the ninth inning, a game goes into extra innings until an inning ends with one team having more runs scored.