A (mostly) serious guide to baseball

A dummies guide to baseball

Design by Sonya Pandya & Everett Baumann

Everett Baumann, Copy Editor

Welcome to the dummy’s guide to baseball! No worries if you feel lost about baseball, because I did too before I started writing this. Luckily, this A-Z guide has all you need to know so you're ready for MLB's opening day or a Northview Titans baseball game. Without further ado, here is the dummies' guide to baseball.

A is for At-bat. An at-bat is when a player steps up to home plate and attempts to get a hit against the opposing pitcher. Basically, it is your turn to hit the ball.

B is for Braves. The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in the Atlanta metro area. The Braves won a World Series in 2021 and have made the playoffs seven times in a row, dating back to 2018. Boasting the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley, the Braves are expected to compete for another World Series title this year.

C is for Catcher. A catcher is one of the nine defensive positions in baseball. They are responsible for catching the ball that the pitcher throws. The pitcher and catcher work in tandem to ensure that strikes are thrown. The catcher lines up between the batter and the umpire.

D is for Diamond. The diamond is a nickname for the infield. The infield encompasses the pitcher's mound, home plate, and the bases. The diamond gets its name from the diamond-like shape the distance between each of the bases creates.

 E is for Error. An error is a mistake made by a defensive player. An error is determined by the official scorer. If the scorer believes the average fielder (defensive player) could've made the play, then it goes into the box score as an error.

F is for Foul Ball. A foul ball is when the batter hits a ball that does not go into the field of play. The field of play is anywhere in front of the batter. Any other area is not considered within the field of play. A foul ball is recorded as a strike when the batter has less than two strikes. After that, it is recorded as a foul ball.

G is for Glove. A glove is what baseball players wear in order to catch the ball. A baseball is very hard and often hit at very high speeds; a glove softens that impact. A glove is also referred to as a mitt.

H is for Home run. A home run is when a batter hits the ball out of the field of play and circles the entire length of the bases to come back to home plate. There are different variations of a home run: A 2-run home run occurs when one man is on any base, as both players come back to home plate to score a run. The same concept occurs when a 3-run home run is hit. Two players on two different bases and the batter who hit the ball each score a run. A grand slam is when there are players on all three bases and a home run is hit, scoring four runs. Lastly, an inside-the-park home run occurs when a batter hits a ball that stays inside the field of play and manages to circle all the bases while the ball remains in play. 

I is for Inning. An inning is the unit of play in Baseball. There are two halves of each inning, the top and bottom. In each half, both teams have the chance to play offense and defense. When three outs are recorded, the teams switch sides. There are nine innings in a professional baseball game.

J is for Jeter. Derek Jeter is a shortstop who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees of the MLB from 1995-2014. He is considered one of the best shortstops in history. He won five Gold Glove awards as the best shortstop in the league and now works as an analyst for Fox Sports. 

K is for Knuckleball. A knuckleball is a type of pitch used in baseball that reduces the spin on the baseball, making it difficult for the batter to hit. The knuckleball is a pitch that isn't used very often, as it is a difficult pitch to master. More common types of pitches include fastballs, curveballs, and sliders.

L is for Line drive. A line drive is a type of hit where the ball is hit very hard and on a low arc. Line drives are a common type of hit in baseball, and usually result in the batter reaching 1st, 2nd, or 3rd base.

M is for Mound. The mound is the brown, raised area of the infield where the pitcher stands. This is where the pitcher attempts to throw strikes from: 60 feet from home plate and in the center of the infield.

N is for National League. The National League, along with the American League, is one of two conferences in Major League Baseball, America's premier baseball league. There are three divisions (Central, East, and West) of five teams within each conference for a total of 30 teams. 

O is for Ohtani. Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese baseball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He is the MLB's biggest superstar, as he can both hit and pitch on a nightly basis. He does both at an extremely high level, making him one of the greatest players of all time.

P is for Position. There are nine defensive positions in baseball, six in the infield and three in the outfield. The six infield positions are:

Pitcher (P): Throws the ball to the catcher, in an attempt to gain outs by having the batter(offensive) miss the ball.

Catcher (C): Catches the ball thrown by the pitcher.

First Base (1B): Defends the area closest to the first base.

Second Base (2B): Defends the area closest to second base

Shortstop: Defends the area between second and third base, considered the most important defensive position in baseball

Third Base (3B): Defends the area closest to the third base.

Left field(LF): One of three outfield positions, a left fielder defends the area in the outfield to the left of home plate.

Center Field (CF): The 2nd of three outfield positions, a center fielder defends the area directly in front of home plate in the outfield.

Right Field: The last of the outfield positions, a right fielder defends the area in the outfield to the right of home plate.

Q is for Question. If you have any questions, restart at A, or attend a Northview Baseball game. 

R is for RBI. RBI stands for "runs brought in". This is the term used when a batter hits the ball into the field, and a man on any of the bases runs into home plate; basically, how many runs are scored off one batter's hit. 

S is for Strike. A strike is when a batter swings at a pitch and misses, or when a batter does not swing and the pitch lands in the strike zone. The strike zone is the area over home plate unique to each batter and stretches from the midpoint between the batter's waist and shoulders and the top of the batter's knees. The home plate umpire calls strikes. If the pitch is not a strike, then it is recorded as a ball, which is when the pitch is thrown outside the strike zone.

T is for Triple Play. A triple play is when there are 3 outs recorded off one hit. It is an extremely rare, but electric play in baseball.

U is for Umpire. Umpires are baseball's referees. In a regular-season contest, there are 4 umpires, one behind home plate to call balls and strikes, and one behind each of the three bases to ensure calls are made correctly. In postseason matches, there are up to seven umpires in one game.

V is for Visiting team. The team that is not playing at their home stadium is referred to as the visiting team. The visiting team bats at the top (or first) in each inning.

W is for World Series. The World Series is the MLB's championship round. One team from the American League and one team from the National League compete against each other for the title of World Series Champion and the Commissioner's trophy.X is for xBA. xBA is a statistic that measures how likely a battled is to become a hit. A ball is measured based off it's exit velocity and launch angle.

Y is for "You're out!". This is the phrase that the home plate umpire shouts after a batter receives their third strike. This is also indicated by the umpire with a point to the side or a clenched fist.

Z is for Zip. A pitcher is said to have a good zip on the ball if he is throwing it well.

And there you have it! Be sure to catch a Northview Baseball game, and get ready to watch your hometown Braves on opening day, March 27.

Northview Baseball schedule:

Monday 3/31 vs Marist @ 6 p.m.

Wednesday 4/2 at Marist @ 5:30 p.m.

Thursday 4/3 at Clarkston @ 6 p.m.

Monday 4/14 vs Clarkston @ 6 p.m.

Wednesday 4/16 at St Pius X Catholic @ 6 p.m.

Thursday 4/17 vs St Pius X Catholic @ 6 p.m.
Atlanta Braves 2025 Schedule