USA+National+Sport

= BASEBALL = Baseball is the USA’s national sport. The history of baseball in the United States can be traced to the 18th century, when amateurs played a baseball-like game by their own informal rules using improvised equipment. The popularity of the sport inspired the semipro and professional baseball clubs in the 1860s. A game is played between two teams, each composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense batting or hitting) and defense (fielding or pitching). A pair of turns, one at bat and one in the field, by each team constitutes an inning. A game consists of nine innings. The goal of the game is to score more points (runs) than the other team. In North America, professional Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series. Four teams make the playoffs from each league.

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