“Sure,” said Jack. “Why not?”
“I thought you were afraid kids might laugh at you,” said Annie.
“I can live with that,” said Jack. “You?”
“Sure,” said Annie.
“We just need to try our best,” said Jack.
“And keep our self-respect,” said Annie.
“Yeah, if we don’t make the team, we can sign up to be a batboy or a batgirl,” said Jack.
“Or a manager,” said Annie.
“Or use Mom’s phone to take photos of the games,” said Jack.
“Hey, what about making videos?” said Annie.
“That’d be fun,” said Jack.
“So fun,” said Annie.
“You know…Morgan didn’t send us to Brooklyn to become great baseball players,” said Jack.
“I know,” said Annie. “She sent us there to learn how to be brave and keep going.”
“Yep, the rules of the game,” said Jack. They stepped out of the woods onto their sunlit street.
“Better hurry,” said Jack.
“Home run!” said Annie.
She and Jack took off through the bright sunlight, running for home.
There is no time limit for a baseball game. It lasts for nine innings. An inning is when both teams have had a chance to bat. If there is a tie, they play extra innings.
There are four main ways a batter or runner can be out.
Strikeout
A pitcher throws a ball that the batter tries to hit. If the batter swings and misses, it’s a strike. If the batter does not swing but the umpire says the pitch was in the strike zone, it’s a strike. If the batter hits a ball out of bounds, it’s a foul ball, and that is also a strike. Three strikes, and the batter is out!
But a foul ball is never the third strike. Batters have been known to hit thirteen foul balls or more in one at bat.
The strike zone is the area over home plate between the batter’s knees and chest.
If a pitch is not in the strike zone and the batter doesn’t swing at it, it’s called a ball. After four balls, the batter gets to go to first base. This is called a walk.
Fly Out
If a fielder catches a batted ball in the air before it touches the ground, the batter is out. Even if it’s a foul ball, a fielder can catch it for an out. A ball hit high up into the outfield is called a fly ball. A ball that goes high up but only reaches the infield is called a pop-up or a pop fly.
Tag Out
After a batter makes it to a base, he becomes a runner. If a runner is not touching a base and a fielder tags him—or touches him with the ball—the runner is out.
Force Out
There can be only one runner on a base at a time. Imagine that a runner is already on first base. When the batter hits the ball, she must run to first base. The runner on first base can’t stay there. She has to try to run to second base. This means there is a force at second base.
When there is a force at second base, if a fielder stops the ball, he can throw it to his teammate at second base. If the teammate has one foot on the base and catches the ball before the runner gets there, the runner is out. This is a force out.
Because the batter has to try to get to first base, there is always a force at first. So an infielder can always throw the ball to first base to get the batter out.
If there’s time, a fielder might force a runner out on one base, then quickly throw to another base for a second force out. That is called a double play. Any time there are two outs from a single pitch, it’s a double play.
Hits
When a batter hits the ball and makes it to a base, it’s a hit. If she gets to first base, that hit is called a single. If the batter gets to second base, it’s a double. If she gets to third, it’s a triple. If a batter hits the ball so far that she can run all the way around the bases and get to home plate without being tagged, it’s a home run.
If a player hits a home run when the bases are loaded, meaning there are runners on all three bases, it’s called a grand slam!
Turn the page to find out about the positions on a baseball field!
WILL OSBORNE
is the author of many novels, picture books, story collections, and nonfiction books. Her New York Times number one bestselling Magic Tree House series has been translated into numerous languages around the world. Highly recommended by parents and educators everywhere, the series introduces young readers to different cultures and times in history, as well as to the world’s legacy of ancient myth and storytelling. She and her husband, writer Will Osborne (author of Magic Tree House: The Musical), live in northwestern Connecticut with their three dogs. Ms. Osborne is coauthor of the companion Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers with Will and with her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce.
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A Big Day for Baseball Page 4
