111 Interesting Baseball Facts: Pitch-Ure Yourself As a Player

The word ‘baseball’ takes us to America; the land that boasts of the origin of this fascinating game among many other things that the world has inherited from the great nation.

Like cricket, baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each. They will take turns in batting and fielding.

The game usually lasts for three hours and has nine innings. A team will throw a small, round ball while the latter hits it with a club called a bat.

For many across the world, baseball is a sport that wins love and devotion from many. A national pastime, the game is conquering heart and spirit as an international sport. A tradition, passion, and obsession, people carry this game in their hearts with varying connotations.

Major League Baseball is one of the most popular baseball leagues across the world where different teams engage in intense matches to claim the total in a widely watched final match. One of the greatest baseball pitchers to have ever played the game is Babe Ruth, whose career spanned over decades.

During his career, the famous baseball pitcher played primarily for Boston Red Sox and then for the New York Yankees.

Jackie Robinson was the first player of African American origin to have played a Major League Baseball game in the year 1947. He played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers for almost a decade.

So, do you have any favorite baseball team? Who would be your pick to take the first base? Who would be your preferred runners? Well, before you answer these questions, do have a look at our interesting baseball facts. Afterward, also check out our hockey facts and ice hockey facts.

Fun Facts About Baseball

Here are some truly fun facts about baseball that you will certainly enjoy:

• Well, you might be a fan of Babe Ruth but to date, Mike Trout is regarded as the best baseball player in the world.
• Did you know that baseballs are rubbed with a particular type of mud before each game?
• Due to its diamond shape, the baseball field is called a 'diamond'.
• The term 'baseball' was first mentioned in the book 'A Little Pretty Pocket Book' by John Newbery.
• You would be amazed at the fact that there is an unofficial anthem for baseball in America! It is called 'Take me out to the ballgame'!
• The first US President to throw a ceremonial first ball was William Howard Taft.
• The situation of the Second World War had its impact on baseball and a few rules of the game were changed.

Facts About Baseball's History

You must be curious to unravel the history of this game that around 55 million people carry in their hearts! Read to learn a few fun facts about the history of this extremely popular game.

• Though people to this date believe that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, the game was actually invented by an English man. This myth is known as the Doubleday legend.
• Henry Chadwick is regarded as the 'father of baseball' and like ice hockey, which is a blend of British and American stick-and-ball games, baseball also has a similar history as Henry was an English-American sportswriter. The sport was molded to its present form by Henry.
• Since 1936, Cooperstone, where Abner was born, has been the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
• Several hundred years ago games similar to baseball were played in America. Its believed that the sport reached the US with colonists and has games like cricket and rounders as its ancestors.
• During the American Revolution, children and adults alike used to play this in the schoolyards and common grounds while in the 19th century, the popularity of the game was soaring.
• A group of New York City men established the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club in the September of 1945. A new set of rules like the diamond-shaped infield and three-strikes rule, among a few others, were introduced by one of the men, Alexander Joy Cartwright.
• The first metal baseball bat was patented in the year 1924. From 1992 to 2008, baseball was an Olympic sport.

Facts About Baseball Rules

Are you interested in playing baseball with your friends? Well, if you are new to the game and are just starting to play, then it is extremely important to know about all the baseball rules. Here are some of the important baseball rules which you must be aware of.

• When a player is tagged by a ball in play, doesn't make it to the base with the ball in gloves before the opposing team, or swings three times at a pitch and misses them every time, it results in them getting 'out' of the game.
• When the offensive team gets three outs, they will play defense. When both the teams have played their offense and defense with three outs each, innings will mark an end.
• When a ball is pitched to the batter, they will get three chances to hit and if they swing and miss the ball, it's considered ''fair' by the umpire. This is called a strike. However, with three strikes, the team is declared to be 'out'.
• Like many other games out there, the fields are marked by lines, connecting the bases. The lines from home plate to first base and from home plate to third base determine if the ball is in play. When the ball is hit in between baselines, it means that it’s in play, and on the contrary, if it is hit out of the baselines, it’s a foul. When a ball hits foul on second or third lines, it would be considered a strike.
• When an unfair pitch is thrown by the pitcher, it’s a ball.

Get to know the basic rules of baseball here and be a champ in baseball!

MLB Baseball Teams' Facts

Without a doubt, Major League Baseball is one of the most popular baseball leagues in the world with millions of viewers thronging to the stadium and millions more watching the live action on TV. So, here are some extremely interesting baseball facts about some of the well-known teams from the league:

• The MLB, Major League Baseball, was formed in 1903. The National League and the American League merged to form the MLB. The National League was formed in 1876, and the American League was formed in 1901.
• The first World Series was played in the same year (1903), and the match was between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates. With a five to three in the best out of nine series, Boston won over Pittsburgh.
• MLB has 30 teams, out of which 29 hail from the US and one from Canada. Earlier, both the National League and American League had eight teams, which then rose to 30 by the 60s and 80s.
• The longest MLB game spanned eight hours. The game was held in 1984 in Chicago.
• The fastest match spanned just 51 minutes and was played between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies in 1919.
• In a 162 game season, the Seattle Mariners boast the maximum wins. To date, this accolade has only been achieved the by Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
• Joe Nuxhall from the Cincinnatti Reds was the youngest player to appear in an MLB game, with a debut in the year 1944, when he was just 15 years old!
• The New York Yankees are applauded as the most valuable franchise in MLB.
• 95% of MLB players prefer baseball bats made of maple woods.
• The first full-time female coach to be in MLB was Alyssa Nakken.
• The balls used in MLB matches have a rubber or cork cover made of horse hiding or cowhide and have around 108 stitches.
• A ball can be used only for seven pitches which would mean that around 6-10 dozen balls are used per game.
• At one point in time, Afro-Americans were banned from playing the game. Racism had crept into games in the first half of the 20th century. They then created a 'Negro-League' to counter fires of racism and produced a few of the world's finest baseball players. By the 50s there were more Afro-Americans in the baseball teams of MLB.
• Constructed in 1912, Fenway Park is the oldest MLB Ballpark.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 111 Interesting baseball facts: Pitch-Ure yourself as a player then why not take a look at Argentina soccer facts, or basketball facts?