In celebration of Major League Baseball’s Opening Day on Thursday, March 26th, here are some key vocabulary & facts to know ahead of the 2026 season.
Baseball, sometimes called “America’s pastime”, is a team sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score more runs than the opposing team by hitting a ball and running around four bases to complete a run. A baseball game lasts for a minimum of nine innings – if the game is tied at the end of the ninth inning, the game continues until one team scores a run.
Basic Rules of Baseball
- Teams take turns batting and fielding.
- The batting team tries to score runs by hitting the ball and running around the bases.
- The fielding team tries to get three outs to end the batting team’s turn.
- A batter gets up to 3 strikes. Three strikes = out.
- Four balls = walk (the batter goes to first base).
- A run is scored when a player touches all four bases and returns to home plate.
- After 3 outs, the teams switch sides (batting and fielding).
- The game is played over 9 innings.
- The team with the most runs at the end wins.
The Field
- Diamond – The shape of the baseball field (infield), with four bases in a square shape.
- Base – There are 4 bases: first base, second base, third base, and home plate.
- Pitcher’s mound – The raised area in the center where the pitcher throws the ball.
Positions
- Pitcher – The player who throws the ball to the batter.
- Catcher – Crouches behind home plate to catch pitches.
- Batter – The player trying to hit the ball.
- Infielders – First baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman.
- Outfielders – Left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder.
Key Vocabulary
catch, hit, pitch, run, swing
More vocabulary
Special Hits:
- Single – The batter reaches first base.
- Double – The batter reaches second base.
- Triple – The batter reaches third base.
- Home run – The ball is hit out of the field, and the batter (and any runners) score automatically.
- A grand slam is a home run with the bases loaded (4 runs scored).
Ways to Get Out:
- Strikeout – Three strikes.
- Fly out – The ball is caught in the air.
- Ground out – The ball is hit on the ground and thrown to first base before the batter gets there.
- Tag out – A runner is touched with the ball while not on a base.
- Force out – A runner has to move to the next base and is thrown out.
League & Teams
There are 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. They are divided into two leagues: the American League and the National League, with 15 teams in each.
American League
| AL East | AL Central | AL West |
| Baltimore Orioles | Chicago White Sox | Houston Astros |
| Boston Red Sox | Cleveland Guardians | Los Angeles Angels |
| New York Yankees | Detroit Tigers | Oakland Athletics |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Kansas City Royals | Seattle Mariners |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Minnesota Twins | Texas Rangers |
National League
| NL East | NL Central | NL West |
| Atlanta Braves | Chicago Cubs | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Miami Marlins | Cincinnati Reds | Colorado Rockies |
| New York Mets | Milwaukee Brewers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Pittsburgh Pirates | San Diego Padres |
| Washington Nationals | St. Louis Cardinals | San Francisco Giants |