Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the opposing team, which attempts to stop the hitting team from scoring runs by getting the hitting players out in various ways. Players on the hitting team can stop at any of the bases and later advance via a teammate's hit or other means. The teams switch between batting and fielding whenever the fielding team records three outs. One turn at bat for each team constitutes an inning; nine innings make up a professional game. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Evolving from older bat-and-ball games, an early form of baseball was played in England in the mid-18th century. This game and the related rounders were brought by British and Irish immigrants to North America, where the modern version of baseball developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was recognized as the national sport of the United States. As of Doomsday, baseball on the professional, amateur, and youth levels was popular throughout North America, parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean, and parts of East Asia.
Post-Doomsday[]
Today, baseball is played primarily in North and Central America, the Caribbean and Japan. It is played, at a lesser level, in the ANZC and its associated states, particularly Alaska, Hawaii and Samoa. It remains the national sport of Taiwan, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Mexico[]
Mexico is where professional baseball continues on, and arguably it has the largest competitive league in the world. The Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, the big professional league of Mexico, restarted in 1987, and though is largely based upon pre-war Mexican teams, is considered the spiritual successor to the US Major League Baseball. The LMB is divided into two divisions, North and South, of 10 teams each. The best teams of each division play one another in two play-offs per series, then the series championships, leading up to the Serie del Rey, in which the championships winner play in a best-of-seven series. The league has seen some controversy outside of Mexico for attracting baseball talent from other countries, leading to accusations of LMB making the game uncompetitive outside of Mexico.
| Home | Name | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Zona Norte | ||
| Aguascalientes | Rieleros | Tribuna de Aguascalientes |
| Chihuahua City | Dorados | Tribuna de Chihuahua |
| Durango City | Vaqueros | Tribuna de Durango |
| Monclova | Acereros | Tribuna de Monclova |
| Monterrey | Sultanes | Tribuna de los Sultanes |
| Monterrey | Senatores | Tribuna de los Senatores |
| Reynosa | Broncos | Tribuna de Reynosa |
| Saltillo | Saraperos | Tribuna de Saltillo |
| San Luis Potosí | Tuneros | Tribuna de San Luis |
| Tampico | Astros | Tribuna de Tampico |
| Zona Sur | ||
| Campeche | Piratas | Tribuna de Campeche |
| Jalisco | Charros | Tribuna de Guadalajara |
| León | Bravos | Tribuna de León |
| Mexico City | Diablos Rojos | Tribuna de los Diablos |
| Mexico City | Tigres | Tribuna de los Tigres |
| Puebla | Pericos | Tribuna de Puebla |
| Querétaro | Guerreros | Tribuna de Querétaro |
| Tabasco | Olmecas | Tribuna de Villahermosa |
| Veracruz | El Águila | Tribuna de Veracruz |
| Yucatán | Leones | Tribuna de Mérida |
However, while the LMB is the most popular regular season league, the off-season features perhaps the more locally loved Mexican Pacific League. This winter league is contested between 8 teams on the Pacific coast of Mexico, in the states of Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa. Despite being arguably a regional league, it is considered to be a true media rival of the LMB in those states, and its best teams participate in the Caribbean Series, alongside teams from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Despite LMB attempts to integrate the Mexican Pacific League, it still continues to be independent, and has a strong tradition of baseball in these northwestern states, where the popularity of baseball arguably surpasses even that of association football.
| Home | Name | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Mexican Pacific League | ||
| Culiacán | Tomateros | Tribuna de Culiacán |
| Guasave | Algodoneros | Tribuna de Guasave |
| Hermosillo | Naranjeros | Tribuna de Hermosillo |
| Los Mochis | Cañeros | Tribuna de Los Mochis |
| Mazatlán | Venados | Tribuna de Mazatlán |
| Mexicali | Águilas | Tribuna de Mexicali |
| Navojoa | Mayos | Tribuna de Navojoa |
| Obregón City | Yaquis | Tribuna de Obregón |
Cuba[]
Cuba's domestic league, which is government sponsored and features exclusively Cuban players, is considered the near-equal to the Mexican league in terms of talent and competition. A similar, government-sponsored league exists in Nicaragua (which does allow selected players to play in Mexico). Minor leagues exist in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and portions of the East Caribbean Federation.
North America[]
In North America, several professional leagues exist. The oldest is in Superior, the level of play being comparable to the Caribbean minor leagues. The Municipal States league was originally intended to be amateur, but as the players are paid stipends, technically qualifies as a professional league.
The leagues break down as thus:
Major League
The United States Baseball League: As of the 2020's, the USBL (founded by Commissioner Joe Torre) has become the most pre-eminent baseball league on the continent.
| Home | Name | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|
| United States Baseball League | ||
| Torrington | Tornadoes | Captial Stadium |
| Newport | Oregon Mariners | Diego Segui Field |
| Fort Collins | Colorado Rockies | City Park |
| Coeur d'Alene | Lincoln Railsplitters | Railsplitters Park |
| Fargo | Dakota Twins | Newman Outdoor Field |
| Doge City | Kansas Royals | Buck O'Neil Stadium |
| Billings | Montana Mountaineers | Mountaineers Park |
| Dubouis | Idaho Cowboys | Cowboys Corral |
MSP League
- Coos Bay
- Port Orford
- Grants Pass
- Gold Beach
- Medford
- Yreka
- Redding
- Crescent City
North American League
- Torrington
- Coeur d'Alene
- Billing
- Butte
- Red Deer
- Lethbridge
- Medicine Hat
- Fort Collins
Superior League
- Madison
- Thunder Bay
- Marquette
- Stowe
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Iron Mountain
- Mackinaw
- Green Bay
- Houghton
- Sudbury
- Traverse City
- Boyne City
Texas League
- Odessa
- Monahans
- Nacodgoches
- Big Spring
- Edinburg
- Midland
- Tyler
- Fort Stockton
Virginian League
- Woodstock
- Fairmont
- Charleston
- Lynchburg
- Roanoke
- Danville
- Beckley
- Lexington
Amateur leagues in Vermont, West Texas and Victoria.
Japan[]
The sport is played in Japan with the same rules as in the rest of the world, albeit with changes in terminology to reflect Japanese culture (and detract from some of the perceived American influence over the sport).
| Home | Name | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Central League | ||
| Kyoto | Nintendo Kyoto Giants (任天堂京都 |
Nintendo |
| Kobe | Kobe Swallows (神戸スワローズ) |
Kobe Shimbun |
| Nishinomiya | Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース) |
Hanshin Electric Railway |
| Hiroshima | Matsuda Carps (松田カープ) |
Matsuda family Mazda |
| Nagoya | Chunichi Dragons (中日ドラゴンズ) |
Chunichi Shimbun |
| Pacific League | ||
| Sapporo | Nippon Ham Fighters (日本ハム・ファイターズ) |
Nippon Ham |
| Osaka | Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes (大阪近畿バファローズ) |
Kintetsu Railway |
| Sendai | Tohoku Eagles (東北イーグルス) |
Sendai Television |
| Saitama | Saitama Seibu Lions (埼玉西武ライオンズ) |
Seibu Railway |
| Kagoshima | Kagoshima Whales (鹿児島ホエールズ) |
Kagoshima Television |
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