Baseball is a popular sport played in many countries. Although baseball, in itself, is a unique game, the concept of a game bein
g played with a bat and a ball is not new. In fact, stick-and-ball games existed in ancient Egypt. However, the idea of baseball is derived from the English game called "rounders." Similar to baseball, rounders is a bat-and-ball game that is played between two teams—a striking team and a fielding team. The players run around four bases placed in the field to score points. However, the rules and the dimensions of the field differ from that of baseball. 2 In the 1840s and 50s, Alexander Cartwright and Louis Wadsworth structured the features and field dimensions of baseball. During 1857, Wadsworth helped in developing the number of innings and the players that should play in each team. An inning in baseball consists of two halves—the first half (or "top") is when the visiting team bats first, and the second half (or "bottom") is when the home team bats. Each half has a team batting until three outs are made, while the other team plays defense. In 1858, a sportswriter named Henry Chadwick wrote the first rule book for baseball. With the exception of some minor changes, these rules are still followed today. 3 In 1869, baseball player Harry Wright formed the first professional team—the Cincinnati Red Stockings. They went on a national tour and played 57 games, during which they remained undefeated. Witnessing the success of this team, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, formed in 1858, created nine teams in eight cities. In this way, the first professional league was born. Several other leagues were also born in this era, and they often ended up being rivals. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs today is simply known as the National League (NL). After the 1920s, baseball gained huge popularity and birthed many stars like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Joe DiMaggio, among others. 4 The modern baseball game is played between two teams that consist of ni
