B1 Baseball – America's National Sport

Baseball is America's national sport. But, _____ it originated in the USA baseball is played in many other countries, especially in Central and South America and Japan. Baseball _____ an Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympics.

Baseball is not only a sport but an American _____ of life. Many families spend summer afternoons _____ their children at a baseball park, sitting in the stands with popcorn and hot dogs. They cheer for their favourite team and wear their baseball caps.

The game _____ played with a long wooden bat and a small hard ball. The players have large heavy gloves to _____ the ball. They usually _____ light shirts and knee-long trousers. Shoes have spikes on them to help players run on the field.

A baseball field is divided _____ two parts. The infield has the shape of a diamond and is bordered by the bases that runners run around. A few players stand in the grassy outfield and wait to catch the ball _____ letting it drop on the ground.

A baseball game consists of nine parts _____ innings. Teams take turns trying to score runs and defend. A pitcher throws the ball towards a batter _____ tries to hit it so that the other team can't catch it.

The batter tries to run around the bases as _____ as possible. A ball that is hit into the stands is called a home run. The team that scores the most runs after nine innings _____ the game.