If you find yourself watching a baseball game and not understanding why everyone around you is screaming at the TV, you’re in the right place. Baseball is one of the most popular sports worldwide and also one of the most confusing, but today I’m here to help you not look like a dummy.

There are only a few rules in baseball but they keep the game going. A pitch is when the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher and the batter tries to hit the ball. There are 3 bases and one home plate, bases are squares around the field and home plate is shaped like an upside down house. Batters run around the bases one time and if they get around to home plate without getting out their team gets a run (a run is a point in baseball). If a batter gets hit with a pitch, the batter gets a free base, but if the batter gets hit with the pitch and swings it’s a strike. If the batter hits the ball and it doesn’t land inside the white lines that line the field, it’s a foul ball which counts as a strike and unless the batter already has two strikes. 

Defense is when the team is on the field, the field consists of nine positions. First pitchers and catchers make the game go, if the pitcher gets three strikes the batter is out, if he gets 4 balls the batter gets to go to first base. The infield consists of four positions, first basemen, second basemen, shortstop, and the third basemen. When there is nobody from the opposing team on base and there is a ground ball the infield throws to first. If there is a player from the other team on first base and there is a ground ball, there is a “force” at second base which means whoever has the ball can get it to second base and only has to touch the base before the runner. If there is a fly ball in the infield with a runner on first base and the infield catches it the runner has to stay on first base until the infield catches it.

There are 3 people in the outfield and they’re whole goal is to catch the ball when it’s in the air, they are usually the loudest on the field because they can see everything going on. When the ball is hit in the air the outfield has to catch it to get an out, if they don’t catch it, or if it pops out of their glove, the batter stays on base. When there is a ground ball to the outfield they have to get the ball in as fast as possible so the baserunner doesn’t get extra bases. If the hit is a foul ball but still catchable, the outfielders can still catch the ball to get an out. If the batter hits a ball and it’s barely a homerun but the outfielder can still catch the ball, even if that means leaping and reaching over the wall to catch it, it is an out.

If you’ve made it through this whole article, congratulations. You’re not a dummy anymore!