Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each,taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays,with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team,called the pitcher,throws a ball that a player on the batting team,called the batter,tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team is to hit the ball into the field of play,away from the other team's players,allowing its players to run the bases,having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs". The objective of the defensive team is to prevent batters from becoming runners,and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate.
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) since 1931.
George Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons,from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat",he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox,but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936,Ruth was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf,and plays its home games at Guaranteed Rate Field,located on Chicago's South Side. They are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago,alongside the National League (NL)’s Chicago Cubs.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15,1947. The Dodgers signing Robinson heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Mark David McGwire,nicknamed "Big Mac",is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He won two World Series championships,one with Oakland as a player in 1989 and one with St. Louis as a coach in 2011. One of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history,McGwire hit 583 home runs during his career,which ranked 5th-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement and currently ranks 11th. He holds the major-league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6),and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season and home runs hit by a rookie. McGwire was one of several central figures in baseball's steroids scandal.
Tyrus Raymond Cobb,nicknamed "the Georgia Peach",was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows,Georgia,Cobb spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers,the last six as the team's player-manager,and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936,Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame,receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes (98.2%);no other player received a higher percentage of votes until Tom Seaver in 1992. In 1999,the Sporting News ranked Cobb third on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada. One of the big four major leagues,MLB comprises 30 teams,divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL),with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Formed in 1876 and 1901,respectively,the NL and AL cemented their cooperation with the National Agreement in 1903,making MLB the oldest major professional sports league in the world. They remained legally separate entities until 2000,when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball. MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
Willie Howard Mays Jr.,nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid",was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time,Mays was a five-tool player who began his career in the Negro leagues,playing for the Birmingham Black Barons,and spent the rest of his career in the National League (NL),playing for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
George Kenneth Griffey Jr.,nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid",is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds,along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame,the first overall pick in the 1987 draft,and a 13-time All-Star,Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history;his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.
Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally,it is often called Puro Yakyū (プロ野球),meaning simply Professional Baseball;outside of Japan,NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball."
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City alongside the National League (NL)'s New York Mets. The team was founded in 1903 when Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise rights to the defunct Baltimore Orioles after it ceased operations and used them to establish the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders were officially renamed the Yankees in 1913.
Henry Louis Gehrig Jr. was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability,which earned him his nickname "the Iron Horse". He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was an All-Star seven consecutive times,a Triple Crown winner once,an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice,and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average,.632 slugging average,and a .447 on-base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBI). Gehrig is one of 18 players to hit four home runs in a single game. He still has the highest ratio of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7) among Hall of Fame players. In 1939,he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team.
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division. Since the 2006 season,the Cardinals have played their home games at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. One of the nation's oldest and most successful professional baseball clubs,the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships,the most of any NL team and second in MLB only to the New York Yankees. The team has won 19 National League pennants,third-most of any team behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. St. Louis has also won 15 division titles in the East and Central divisions.
The World Series is the annual final championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It has traditionally been held in October,though some more recent editions were contested in November due to expanded playoffs and/or season delays. It has been contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff,and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy.
Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime",he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher,a rarity for two-way players,Ohtani's 2021,2022,and 2023 seasons are considered among the greatest in baseball history,with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB),including teams affiliated with MLB clubs.
