Baseball: The Game & How to Play It

Hello, everyone!  So, I had a request to explain the game of baseball, for those of you who do not know its rules and how it is played!  This blog today will be about just that!!
First of all, there are generally 9 innings and 3 outs per inning.  An inning is a certain amount of time where one team is on offense and one is on defense.  The team on offense is up to bat and the team on defense is out in the field (just think 'defend', as they are defending the infield).  There are four bases: 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, and home base.  There is a first baseman on 1st base, a second baseman on 2nd base, and a third baseman on 3rd.  There is also a shortstop in between 2nd base and 3rd base.  The catcher squats behind the home plate.  There is also a right field, left field, and center field, which are the outfields, and each their own player.  There is a pitcher, who stands on a mound facing the catcher.  The pitcher's job is to throw the ball, aiming for the catcher, trying to strike out the batter.  The batter will strike out if they swing three times and miss each time, or if they get two fouls and miss the last one.  A foul ball is when the batter hits the ball, but it goes outside of the play lines.  If the batter hits the ball, it is the defense's job to try to get the batter "out."  They will throw the ball to whichever base the batter is on, and if the ball gets there before the batter and the baseman tags the batter with the ball, the batter is out.  A "homerun" is when the batter hits the ball out of the field.  This means he, and whichever of his teammates are on base at the time, get to run all the way home and score.  After there are three outs, the teams change positions.  Once the teams have changed twice it is called an inning.  So, therefore, an inning consists of both teams having played once on both defense and offense.  The teams will play like this until the 9th inning, and at the end of the 9th, whoever has more points wins the game.  These are the fundamentals and basics of baseball!! Questions?? Leave me a comment! :)

Blog #2: NL West Standings

Today's post will be about the National League West standings so far.  There has been close competition between the NL west this season.  

In first place are the San Francisco Giants, with 86 wins and 67 losses.  Putting them in first place was their last game at the Chicago Cubs stadium, where the Giants won 13-0!! Their next game will be today in Colorado against the Rockies.

Close behind in second, are the San Diego Padres, with 85 wins and 67 losses.  They lost 1-3 against the Dodgers in LA on September 23 and are to play next today versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Coming in third are the Colorado Rockies with 82 wins.  They got their 70th loss in Arizona on September 23 against the Diamondbacks, losing  a close one with a score of 9-10.  They might have a chance at another win against the Giants today in Colorado.

In fourth place is my personal favorite team, the LA Dodgers.  They are not far behind with 74 wins and 79 losses.  They last played the Padres on September 23 and won 3-1.  They will play the Diamondbacks today in Arizona, and I'm hoping they will make another win!!

The top MLB performers for the National League as of now are:

Josh Johnson for pitching and Carlos Gonzalez for batting.  Johnson is on the Florida Marlins and has an ERA (earned run average) of 2.30 and 186 Ks (strikeouts).  Colorado Rockies player Gonzalez has a batting average of .342 with 33 homeruns.

I do not know how many of you follow baseball or even like it, but, to me, watching a game or especially attending one in person is the greatest way to spend my day!  Take Dodger stadium for example.  The crazy Dodger fans chant and yell and cheer all the time, the whole time, which makes the game so much more fun and interesting!  So if you have never been to a game, consider going.  Even if you do not like baseball, it is still fun and exciting to spend the day in the stadium.


The teams in the National League west are playing today, heavily competing for the number one spot.  More updates to come with new scores and standings!

Pick the winner of upcoming games!

Blog #1

Hi, I'm Emily Underwood and I'm part of the English 100-31 class at CSULB.  My blog will be about updates for Major League Baseball.  You should read my blog because you will then know what's going on in the MLB world!! How exciting is that?!  Baseball is America's favorite pastime and I think it is so fun to follow.  Plus, who doesn't enjoy going to a game and eating a delicious hot dog??  So it will all be here (everything, that is, except the stadium and the hot dog).  This blog will be about standings of different teams and different leagues, for example the American and National Leagues.  It will also be sectioned into different directions, for example, the American League East.  I will write about standings (which teams are leading in wins), most recent games, next games, players, and my opinions about them.  I realize it might be a controversial blog, especially if you are a baseball follower and have a different favorite team than I!  However, it should still be fun, and even if you don't follow a certain team you will still be able to strike up a conversation about this baseball season with someone!  So make sure to check out my posts, and stay up to date on the latest in Major League Baseball!  Thanks for visiting :)