Two teams play baseball. Each team has nine players. The pitcher throws the ball. The batter tries to hit it with the bat.
The catcher crouches behind home plate. He catches the pitches. The pitcher stands on the pitcher's mound.
The baseball field is shaped like a diamond. It has four corners. The bases are 90 feet apart. That is 27 meters.
A team has nine fielders. One is the pitcher and one is the catcher. The other seven are four infielders and three outfielders.
One fielder is the shortstop. The shortstop plays between second base and third base.
A player goes around the bases. He gets back to home plate. Then a run is scored.
On a home run, the batter goes around all the bases. He scores. So does every runner already on base.
Three strikes make a strikeout. A batter is out if the ball is caught. A throw to first base can get him out. The ball must get there before he does.
Some pitches are outside the strike zone. The batter does not swing at them. They are balls. A batter who gets four balls walks to first base.
A runner can steal a base. He moves up to the next base on his own. It is not because of a hit.
Three outs end a team's turn at bat. In each inning, each team bats once. One team bats in the top half. The other bats in the bottom half.
A game has nine innings. If it is tied after nine, they play extra innings. They play until one team is ahead.
Words to know
- pitcher: throws the ball
- catcher: catches pitches
- shortstop: a fielder
- strikeout: three strikes
- innings: parts of play
