INTRODUCTION
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Baseball is a popular game played by 2 teams with usually 9 persons making a team. The baseball game is played on a field using a ball, a bat and gloves. On the baseball field are 4 bases. These bases form a diamond shape that spreads around the field from the home plate(starting base) to the right. This starting base is a pentagon shape having 5 sides. The first base is positioned on the right side of the field, the second is positioned at the top of the infield, the base that’s positioned on the left side is the third base and finally, the starting base (home plate) is positioned at the back of the field. At the start of the game, the home team will do the pitching while the visiting team’s players will do the batting. In each innings, out of 9 innings a professional baseball has, a team has to do the batting and try to score. The scores are referred to as ‘run’. The batting team becomes the defence and the defence team becomes the batting team in each innings until the 9 innings are completed. Then the team with the highest runs emerges the winner but, if they happen to have the same runs, they will play more innings until a team wins. The most important part of the baseball game lies between the pitcher and the batter. The pitcher pitches towards the starting base (home plate) by throwing the ball. The pitcher will throw the ball in such a way that the batter can reach it and hit it. When a pitcher throws the ball over the starting base(home plate) and between the hitter’s chest and knee, the pitch is considered a “strike” except the batter can hit the ball. As long as the batter swings the bat even if he misses it, no matter where it is the pitch is considered a strike. So, the batter needs to be prepared to have a good aim using the bat. A strikeout is a way to make an “out”. A strikeout is achieved after 3 strikes. A pitch that a doesn’t swing at is called a ‘ball’ instead of a strike. Once a pitcher throws the fourth ball the batter gets to the first base so a pitcher must do well when pitching. In a pitcher’s team is a catcher. The catcher stays at the back of the batter. Any ball that the batter is unable to hit, he catches. The catcher suggests where to throw the ball by signalling. If he agrees with the suggestion he shows his agreement by nodding to mean ‘yes’ but, if the pitcher doesn’t agree with the suggestion he shows his disagreement by shaking his head to mean ‘no’.
What is a wild card in baseball?
The wild card is used to refer to the team who made the playoffs or qualified for the postseason without emerging winner in their division. 2 wild card teams are from the American League and the National League. One team from each league can qualify for playoffs in each season. It was originally one wild card team. The wild card was first set up in the year 1994 to the Major League Baseball (MLB). At that time, it was only one wild card team per league. The wild card winner will then play again the team who emerged winner in the opening round. But in the year 2012, there were amendments and the wild card team increased from one wild card to 2 wild card teams per league. And that has been the case till the present date. The 2 wild card teams have to play against each other in a play-in-game and the team that emerges as the winner will proceed to play in the Division series and the remaining team’s season will end.
How to determine the wild card?
The team for the wild card game is determined by assessing all teams. The team with a good and consistent season winning performance is chosen. And any two teams that have the same percentage are the wild card teams. They get to play against each other. Then the winning team of the wild card will play against any division champion with the best record.
Conclusion
The popular baseball field game has different set rules and procedures. The wild card has been quite confusing for some people. And this article has solved the confusion. The wild card has been explained in this article. What a wild card means in a baseball game, how a wild card is determined and what the wild card team does have been explained.
Also, see,
How Many Innings In A College Baseball Game‘