棒球(baseball)
由两个队，每队九或十人（如果有指定打击的话）用球棒、球和手套在设有分布成方形（或钻石形）的四个垒的场地上进行比赛的球类运动。两队轮流攻守，攻方三人出局即转为守方。打击者设法把球打到防守人员不易捕获的地方，以便依次跑完四垒得分。在九局中得分多的一方即是胜者。如赛完九局平分，则再加赛一局，直至分出胜负为止。棒球一向被视为美国传统的国家运动。人们曾一度以为是纽约州柯柏斯敦的道布尔戴在1839年发明的，但更有可能的是由18世纪英国的一种称为圆场棒球的游戏演变而来的，之後由喀特莱特修改而成。第一个职业联盟成立於1871年，是由八支城市队伍组成；1876年发展为国家联盟。1900年美国联盟成立，与之相抗衡；1903年以来，这两个联盟的优胜队伍之间进行赛季後锦标赛，名为世界大赛。加拿大的球队於1968和1976年被上述两个联盟接纳。在20世纪早期还有一个独立的黑人联盟（Negro Leagues）。赛季从4月初到10月初，接着是分区决赛与世界大赛。棒球名人堂设於柯柏斯敦。
English version：
baseball
Game played with a bat and fist-sized ball between two teams of nine or ten (if a designated hitter is used) players each on a large field having four bases laid out in a square, or diamond, whose outlines mark the course a runner must take to score. Teams alternate positions as batters and fielders, exchanging places when three members of the batting team are put out. Batters try to hit a pitched ball out of reach of the fielding team and run a complete circuit around the bases for a run (1 point). The team that scores the most runs in nine innings (times at bat) wins the game. If the game is tied, extra innings are played until the tie is broken. Baseball is traditionally considered the national pastime of the U.S. It was once thought to have been invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, N.Y., but it is more likely that baseball developed from an 18th-century English game called rounders, as modified by Alexander Cartwright. The first professional association, comprising teams from eight cities, was formed in 1871; in 1876 it became the National League. A rival American League was founded in 1900, and since 1903 the winning teams of each league have played a postseason championship known as the World Series. Canadian teams were admitted to the major leagues in 1968 and 1976. In the early 20th century there were separate Negro Leagues, but they began to disband in the 1940s as black players became integrated into the majors (see Jackie Robinson). The regular baseball season extends from early April to early October, followed by division play-offs and the World Series. A Baseball Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown.
