# Baseball **Baseball** is a bat-and-ball sport contested between two teams of nine players each. The game is played in alternating turns of batting (offense) and fielding (defense). --- ### Fundamental Gameplay A game of baseball unfolds through a series of discrete plays. Each play commences when the **pitcher** (a member of the fielding team) throws a ball toward a member of the batting team, known as the **batter**. The primary objective of the batter is to strike the ball with a bat and propel it into the field of play, safely away from defensive players. ### Scoring and Objectives The offensive team’s goal is to advance its players around a series of four bases arranged in a diamond pattern. * **Direction:** Players progress in a counter-clockwise direction. * **Bases:** First base, second base, third base, and home plate. * **Runs:** A "run" is scored when a player successfully touches all four bases in sequence and returns to home plate. The team that accumulates the highest number of runs by the conclusion of the game is declared the winner. ### Core Roles | Role | Team | Primary Objective | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Pitcher** | Fielding | To throw the ball into the strike zone and prevent the batter from hitting. | | **Batter** | Batting | To hit the ball into the field and reach base safely. | | **Fielder** | Fielding | To catch or retrieve the ball and record "outs" against the batting team. |