Baseball is a popular sport in the US, played with a bat and ball. In it, two teams take turns, with one team batting and the others standing out in the field. The aim of the game is for the batter’s team to complete a loop around the baseball diamond after the batter has hit the ball. They can stop on the four bases on the corners along the way, but if the field team touches the base with the ball before a player reaches it, that player is out of the round.

1. Baseball is known as “America’s favourite pastime”.

This title was given to the sport thanks to its long history and cultural significance in the United States. However, baseball is also popular in other countries, such as Canada, Japan, Mexico, Cuba, and more.

2. The first recorded game took place in 1846.

On June 19, 1846, the New York Nine and the Knickerbockers Club of Hoboken, New Jersey, played with the modern rules of baseball, established by Alexander Cartwright.

3. The bases in a baseball diamond are 90 feet apart.

This measurement was set in stone by the National League in 1877 and is still used to this day. The distance has to be consistent so there’s a good balance between both teams and players can gauge the length of time it takes to reach one base from another.

4. Baseballs are typically made of cork or rubber and covered in leather.

Cork and rubber are used to help the ball bounce, and leather is good for maintaining the shape of the ball. Baseballs are much easier to throw, hold, and hit as a result.

5. The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first professional baseball team.

Founded in 1869, this team is now known as the Cincinnati Reds and is famous for playing a big role in making the sport popular across the country.

6. Babe Ruth holds the record for single-season record for total bases.

Called the “Sultan of Swat,” Babe Ruth was hugely famous, perhaps the most well-known man in America for his time, beloved for his powerful hitting and home run hitting ability. He still holds many records yet to be broken, including his record for 457 total bases in the 1921 season.

7. The World Series is the biggest professional baseball event.

The American League and National League both run their own events, but The World Series combines the two in a best-of-seven playoff between the winner of each, played every October. The winner of the World Series is called the World Champion of Baseball.

8. Pitchers can throw baseballs at over 100 mph.

You might think batters would send the ball flying faster but pitchers can throw balls tremendously fast, using this speed to make their pitches tough for batters to hit. These pitches can and have caused injury in the past when hitting a person..

9. The New York Giants had a lucky cat.

In 1916, a stray cat ran onto the field during a New York Giants game. Pitcher Rube Benton took the cat to safety in the dugout, and it soon became the unofficial mascot of the cat, named “Schlitzie”, and was thought to bring good luck for several years as the Giants won the National League pennant on the year they found him.

10. “The Shot Heard Round the World” is one of the most famous events in baseball history.

This was a home run hit by Bobby Thomson for the New York Giants during the 1951 National League playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Giving the team the win and earning them the National League pennant.

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