Beginning of Essay
Baseball, competitive game of skill played with a hard ball and a bat between two teams of nine players each. Baseball is often called the national pastime of the United States, because of its strong tradition and great popularity. It is played throughout the worl ....

Middle of Essay
.... innings. The team that scores the most runs by the end of the ninth inning wins the game. Play starts when a player called the pitcher throws a ball toward the batter, a player on the opposing team. The batter tries to hit the ball into the baseball field. Payers score runs by hitting the ball and running around a series of bases before a player in the field can put them out. Batters and runners can be put out in a variety of ways. Innings are divided into two halves, referred to as the top and bottom of the inning. During the top of an inning, one team is at bat while the other team is in the field. After the team at bat has three outs the two team ....