20 Mind-Blowing Baseball Facts You Won’t Believe

When you think of baseball, you probably picture the game’s iconic images like home runs and a pitcher with a broom handle or hockey stick. But the sport is a lot more than just hitting a ball over a fence—it’s full of crazy, fascinating stories. From the time a bird was hit mid-flight to a baseball that lasted six pitches, here are 20 mind-blowing baseball facts you won’t believe.

The earliest known mention of baseball is in a children’s book published in 1744, which describes a game played with a bat and a ball. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that baseball became a popular sport. The sport gained a huge following during the Civil War, as soldiers played it as a form of escapism from the horrors they witnessed. After the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, professional baseball grew even more popular and was able to survive the Great Depression and World War II without any teams folding. During the same period, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, further boosting its popularity.

A game of baseball is played in innings, with each team’s turn on offense and defense being equal. A player must touch all the bases before returning to home plate in order to score a run. In addition, players can only advance to the next base after the batter is out or if the ball goes into the outfield.

There are nine innings in a typical MLB game and if both teams have an equal number of runs after all nine innings, the team with the most total bases wins. A game can also end in a tie if the team has an equal number of runners on the bases when the last batter is out.