Baseball and Its History by Mael Jerez

(far left) Former New York Mets star (currently on the Texas Rangers) Jacob DeGrom pitches. (far right) Former Boston Red Sox star (currently on the Los Angeles Dodgers) Mookie Betts hit a ball.

As some of you may know, baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game is live when the umpire signals to the pitcher either verbally or by pointing, indicating that the ball is now in play. A player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball that a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat. Baseball is my personal favorite sport. Most people call it America's Past-time due to the beginning of the first ever club starting in Cooperstown, New York, but it has roots from the English game "Rounders". Here is the background of my favorite sport.

The game is played on a field whose primary boundaries, the foul lines, extend forward from home plate at 45-degree angles. The 90-degree area within the foul lines is referred to as fair territory. In the middle of the infield is a raised pitcher's mound, with a rectangular rubber plate at its center. The outer boundary of the outfield is typically demarcated by a raised fence, which may be of any material and height. The fair territory between home plate and the outfield boundary is baseball's field of play, though significant events can take place in foul territory, as well. Due to its diamond-like shape, baseball fields are known as "The Diamond". The number of players on a baseball roster, or varies by league and by the level of organized play. A Major League Baseball team has a roster of 25 players with specific roles. A typical roster features the following players: Eight position players: the catcher, four infielders, and three outfielders—all of whom play on a regular basis Five starting pitchers who makes up the team's pitching rotation or starting rotation Six relief pitchers, including one closer who makes up the team's bullpen (named for the off-field area where pitchers warm up) One backup, or substitute, catcher Two backup infielders Two backup outfielders One pinch hitter, or a utility player, or a seventh reliever Most baseball leagues worldwide have the DH rule, including the MLB, Japan's Pacific League, and Caribbean professional leagues, along with major American amateur organizations. In leagues that apply the designated hitter rule, a typical team has nine offensive regulars (including the DH), five starting pitchers, seven or eight relievers, a backup catcher, and two or three other reserve players.

The manager, or head coach, oversees the team's main tactical decisions. Managers are typically assisted by two or more coaches; they may have specialized responsibilities, such as working with players on hitting, fielding, pitching, or strength and conditioning. At most levels of organized play, two coaches are stationed on the field when the team is at bat: the first base coach and third base coach, who occupy designated coaches' boxes, just outside the foul lines. These coaches assist in the direction of base runners, when the ball is in play, and show tactical signals from the manager to batters and runners, during pauses in play.

As it turns out, the real history of baseball is a little more complicated than the legend of Abner Doubleday. References to games resembling baseball in the United States date back to the 18th century. Its most direct ancestors appear to be two English games: rounders (a children’s game brought to New England by the earliest colonists) and cricket. By the time of the American Revolution, variations of such games were being played on schoolyards and college campuses across the country. They became even more popular in newly industrialized cities where men sought work in the mid-19th century. In September 1845, a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. One of them—volunteer firefighter and bank clerk Alexander Joy Cartwright—would codify a new set of rules that would form the basis for modern baseball, calling for a diamond-shaped infield, foul lines and the three-strike rule. He also abolished the dangerous practice of tagging runners by throwing balls at them.

Every MLB team has at least 3 or more uniforms, a white home jersey, a gray away jersey, and an alternate jersey for special occasions.

Now that you've learned about the basic history of baseball, let's have some trivia!

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Easy

1. Where was baseball truly invented?

2. How many uniforms does a team normally have at least?

3. What is the professional worldwide baseball league?

4. How many players are in the batting order (including the DH)?

Medium

5. What is the international baseball tournament? Hint: It is like the olympics for baseball, and it happens every 4 years.

6. In what year did the Washington Nationals move from Montreal to Washington D.C.?

7. What leagues does the MLB have? Hint: Its 2.

8. Where is the National Baseball Hall of Fame located?

9. A "pickle" is what type of event in baseball?

Hard

10. Babe Ruth won seven World Series, what is the only team he beat twice?

11.  What is the maximum number of innings that a baseball game is allowed to be played?

12. Who has the lowest batting average in Major League history?

13. Who is a famous athlete that became part-owner of the Boston Red Sox as of 2021?

14. What was the original name of the Milwaukee Brewers?

15. Jackie Robinson is best known for what record?

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Answers

1. The USA, but has its original roots from England.

2. 3.

3. Major League Baseball (MLB).

4. 9.

5. The World Baseball Classic (WBC).

6. 2005.

7. The National League and the American League.

8. Cooperstown, New York.

9. When a player gets caught running in between the bases.

10. The Boston Red Sox.

11. 26.

12. Chris Davis.

13. LeBron James.

14. The Seattle Pilots.

15. Being the first African-American player in the MLB.

If you would like more challenging baseball trivia, go to https://forms.gle/KRXDMFwuk7DRG9aBA or https://www.mlb.com/trivia