A Brief History of Baseball

Series Summary

Baseball is a sport played with a bat and a ball. In baseball, there are two teams of nine players each, and the goal of is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged ninety feet apart at the corners of a diamond. Offensive players take turns hitting while the defense tries to stop them from scoring runs by getting hitters out in a number of different ways. A player on offense can stop at any of the bases and try to score on a teammate's hit ball. The teams switch between offense and defense whenever the team on defense records three outs. One turn on offense for each team makes an inning, and nine innings make up a professional game. The team with the most runs at the end of the game is the winner.

Whether you're a beginner learning baseball, a fan interested in understanding the game, or a coach who needs to explain the rules to his team, this video series will help you to better understand the basics of baseball. By understanding what equipment - be it gloves, bats or balls - are needed to play baseball, you will be one step closer to stepping on the field yourself. Our expert will teach you about the infield and outfield, the pitcher's mound and home plate, as well as give you a brief history of the game and why it's so popular. Baseball is America's pasttime, so watch these videos and learn everything you need to know about the basics of baseball.

Video Transcript

"BEN GRAHAM: The exact origins of the game of baseball are debatable. We know that in this country, it's been played on an organized level since the late 1800s, and played professionally here since about that time. Two leagues, the original what we now know as the American League, we also had the Negro Leagues at the time. There was also evidence that baseball, or a game similar to baseball was played by Native American tribes, they used sticks and various balls made out of different materials. So, the game that somewhat resembles what we have today. Also, taking back to the English game of cricket, there's a lot of similarities between that game and the game of baseball. Pitching, hitting a ball, using a bat, using a mitt to field. And also, even going back to Genghis Khan and the Mongols, they played a game similar to baseball mounted on horseback. What we know today, Major League Baseball, is probably what you are the most familiar with, that's split into two leagues, the American and the National League. The American League is, often times, called "The Senior Circuit." That was the original league in baseball. The National League was added several decades later as the game expanded. The game of baseball has pretty much remained unchanged in this country since it's inception, basic tools are a ball, a glove, a bat, and obviously bases, which you may be able to see right here in front of me at home plate. And that's a brief history of baseball."