baseball, Game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players (or 10, if a designated hitter bats and runs for the pitcher). Baseball is played on a large field that has four bases laid out in a square, positioned like a diamond, whose outlines mark the course a runner must take to score. Teams alternate positions as batters and fielders, exchanging places when three members of the batting team are put out. Batters try to hit a pitched ball out of reach of the fielding team and complete a circuit around the bases in order to score a “run.” The team that scores the most runs in nine innings (times at bat) wins the game. If a game is tied, extra innings are played until the tie is broken. Baseball is traditionally considered the national pastime of the United States. It was once thought to have been invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, N.Y., but it is more likely that baseball developed from an 18th-century English game called rounders that was modified by Alexander Cartwright. The first professional association was formed in 1871; in 1876 it became the National League. Its rival, the American League, was founded in 1900, and since 1903 (except in 1904 and 1994) the winning teams of each league have played a postseason championship known as the World Series. The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown. Professional baseball leagues also exist in several Latin American countries. The champions of leagues in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela compete in the Caribbean Series each February. In Asia there are professional baseball leagues in Japan and South Korea and on the island of Taiwan. Japan has two major leagues, the Central and the Pacific, that face off in the Japan Series every October.
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Nolan Ryan Summary
Nolan Ryan is an American professional right-handed baseball pitcher who in 1983 became the first pitcher to surpass Walter Johnson’s record of 3,508 career strikeouts, set in 1927. Ryan retired in 1993 at age 46 with a record 5,714 strikeouts. Ryan was taught to play baseball by an elder brother
Ted Turner Summary
Ted Turner American broadcasting entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman, and environmentalist who founded a media empire that included several television channels that he created, notably CNN. (Read Ted Turner’s Britannica entry on the U.N. Foundation.) Turner grew up in an affluent family; his
Pete Rose Summary
Pete Rose is a professional baseball player who in 1985 exceeded Ty Cobb’s record for career hits (4,189). During his career, Rose was noted for his all-around ability and enthusiasm. He was named Player of the Decade (1970–79) by The Sporting News. At the end of his career, he became better known
Roberto Clemente Summary
Roberto Clemente was a professional baseball player who was an idol in his native Puerto Rico and one of the first Latin American baseball stars in the United States (see also Sidebar: Latin Americans in Major League Baseball). Clemente was originally signed to a professional contract by the