The Beginner's Guide to Baseball

It’s that time of year again. Warm weather is just around the corner (hopefully), and that means the Boys of Summer are back. Whether you live in Arkansas or Alaska, chances are you know at least one guy who is a major baseball fan, meaning you’ll have to listen to your share of conversations involving America’s Favorite Pastime. Being able to identify these plays or terms could help you bond with, or at least impress, that baseball fan in your life. So here it is, a definitive guide to baseball: Ten key terms, phrases and plays to know.

Double Play
A double play occurs when you make two outs on one play. For example, Team A has one guy on first base and another player at-bat, (this means he’s standing in the batter’s box, waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball). Once the pitcher throws the ball, the batter hits the ball to the shortstop (the guy between 2nd and 3rd base). The shortstop then throws the ball to the second baseman. The second baseman tags the runner going from first to second, making one out, and then throws to first base, beating the hitter and making the second out. Often referred to as “a pitcher’s best friend.”

Triple Play
Same concept as the double play, except three outs are made on the play, which means at least two runners need to be on base for it to happen. This play is extremely rare, to the point that it has become somewhat a source of pride for fans to recount under what circumstances they saw a triple play being made.