AmeriCA’s PAstime The sport of baseball has been called the national pastime of the United States Each spring millions of fans look forward to the beginning of a new baseball season Children around the world play Little League Baseball In the United States and Canada Major League Baseball has thirty teams Baseball is also popular in many Latin American and Asian countries Vocabulary A pastime is something that helps to make time pass agreeably Children of all ages can enjoy playing baseball in an organized league or just for fun 4
The game is played with a bat and a fist-sized ball Two teams of nine players compete against each other to hit the ball and run the bases to score The goal is to score the most points which are called runs The teams take turns batting and fielding A period of play called an inning is completed after both teams have batted After nine innings the team with the most runs wins If a game is tied the teams play extra innings until the tie is broken Going to a baseball game can be a fun way for a family to spend a summer afternoon 5
PlAying AreA And equiPment A baseball field is divided into an infield and an outfield Within the infield is a square area called the diamond There are four bases one on each corner of the diamond One base is called home plate The others are called first second and third base The bases are 90 feet about 27 meters apart A wall usually marks the outer boundary of the outfield This diagram shows the major features of a baseball field 6
Compare and Contrast Why do you think some bats are made of aluminum What benefits would an aluminum bat have over a wooden one A raised circular mound is located in the middle of the infield diamond A player called the pitcher throws the ball toward home plate from a spot on the mound In professional baseball the mound is 60 feet 6 inches 18 4 meters from home plate A baseball has a core made of cork and rubber Yarn is wrapped around the core The cover is made of two strips of white leather that are sewn together Players hit the ball with a bat A baseball bat is a smooth rounded stick made of wood or aluminum To catch the ball players wear leather gloves Batters wear helmets to protect their head in case the pitch hits them 7
