| Baseball is a sport played between two
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| | "farm system" of minor league teams at
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| teams usually of nine players each. It is
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| | various levels. These teams allow younger
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| a bat-and-ball game in which a pitcher
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| | players to gain experience against
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| throws (pitches) a hard, fist-sized,
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| | opponents with similar levels of skill.
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| leather-covered ball toward a batter on
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| | The distinct evolution of baseball from
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| the opposing team. The batter attempts to
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| | among the various bat-and-ball games is
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| hit the baseball with a tapered
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| | difficult to trace with precision. While
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| cylindrical bat, made of wood (as
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| | there has been general agreement that
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| required in professional baseball) or a
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| | modern baseball is a North American
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| variety of other materials (as allowed in
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| | development from the older game rounders,
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| many nonprofessional games). A team
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| | the 2006 book Baseball Before We Knew It:
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| scores runs only when batting, by
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| | A Search for the Roots of the Game, by
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| advancing its players—primarily via
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| | David Block, argues against that notion.
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| hits—counterclockwise past a series of
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| | The earliest known mention of the sport
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| four markers called bases arranged at the
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| | is in a 1744 British publication, A
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| corners of a ninety-foot square, or
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| | Little Pretty Pocket-Book, by John
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| "diamond." The game, played without time
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| | Newbery. It contains a wood-cut
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| restriction, is structured around nine
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| | illustration of boys playing "base-ball,"
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| segments called innings. In each inning,
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| | showing a set-up roughly similar to the
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| both teams are given the opportunity to
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| | modern game, and a rhymed description of
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| bat and score runs; a team's half-inning
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| | the sport. The earliest known American
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| ends when three outs are recorded against
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| | reference to the game was published in a
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| that team.
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| | 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, statute
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| Baseball on both the professional and
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| | that prohibited the playing of baseball
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| amateur levels is popular in North
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| | within 80 yards of the town's new meeting
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| America, Central America, parts of South
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| | house. The English novelist Jane Austen
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| America, parts of the Caribbean, and East
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| | made a reference to children playing
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| Asia. The modern version of the game
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| | "base-ball" on a village green in her
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| developed in North America beginning in
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| | book Northanger Abbey, which was written
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| the eighteenth century. The consensus of
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| | between 1798 and 1803 (though not
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| historians is that it evolved from
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| | published until 1818).
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| earlier bat-and-ball games, such as
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| | The first full documentation of a
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| rounders, brought to the continent by
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| | baseball game in North America is Dr.
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| British and Irish immigrants. By the late
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| | Adam Ford's contemporary description of a
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| nineteenth century, baseball was widely
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| | game that took place in 1838 on June 4
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| recognized as the national sport of the
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| | (Militia Muster Day) in Beachville,
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| United States. The game is sometimes
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| | Ontario; this report was related in an
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| referred to as hardball to differentiate
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| | 1886 edition of Sporting Life magazine in
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| it from similar sports such as softball.
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| | a letter by former St. Marys, Ontario,
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| In the United States, professional Major
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| | resident Dr. Matthew Harris. In 1845,
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| League Baseball teams are divided into
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| | Alexander Cartwright of New York City led
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| the National League (NL) and American
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| | the codification of an early list of
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| League (AL). Each league has three
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| | rules (the so-called Knickerbocker
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| divisions: East, West, and Central. Every
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| | Rules), from which today's have evolved.
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| year, the champion of Major League
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| | He had also initiated the replacement of
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| Baseball is determined by playoffs
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| | the soft ball used in rounders with a
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| culminating in the World Series. Four
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| | smaller hard ball. While there are
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| teams make the playoffs from each league:
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| | reports of Cartwright's club, the New
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| the three division leaders, plus one wild
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| | York Knickerbockers, playing games in
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| card team with the best record among the
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| | 1845, the game now recognized as the
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| remaining teams in the league. In the
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| | first in U.S. history to be officially
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| National League, the pitcher is required
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| | recorded took place on June 19, 1846, in
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| to bat, per the traditional rules. In the
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| | Hoboken, New Jersey, with the "New York
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| American League, there is a tenth player,
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| | Nine" defeating the Knickerbockers,
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| a designated hitter, who bats for the
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| | 23–1, in four innings.
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| pitcher. Each major league team has a
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