In
bat-and-ball sports, the defending team is in the field, while the offensive team sends only a few players into the field to try to score at a time. These sports generally involve a member of the defense throwing the ball to a member of the offensive team, who then tries to hit it and run to various safe areas of the field to score points. Failing to hit the ball properly, or failing to reach the safe areas before the ball is used against the offensive player, can result in that player being left unable to score.
Baseball Baseball is unlike most other competitive sports in that the defense is given control of the ball. Additionally, the number of players on the field at any given time is
lopsided in favor of the defense which always has nine players on the field; the offense has between one and four. Historically, each player on the team had a role both on offense and defense. Most amateur and professional leagues have adopted the
designated hitter (DH) rule introduced by the
American League of
Major League Baseball. In leagues that use the DH, pitchers usually do not bat, and the DH bats in lieu of the pitcher and does not play a defensive position. The main league that has not adopted the DH rule is the
Central League of
Nippon Professional Baseball. Each play starts with the ball in the hands of the
pitcher, whose job as a member of the defense is to use his skills to somehow prevent the
batter from reaching base. The pitcher throws the ball toward the
catcher, who must catch the pitched ball if it is not hit by the batter. In each half-
inning, the defense attempts to force three
outs. There are three basic ways in which an out can occur: • If three
strikes are recorded against the batter, • if a ball hit by a batter is caught by a defensive player before it hits the ground, • if a
runner who is between bases or has not reached a base to which he is
forced or
put out by a defensive player in possession of the ball. If the batter manages to hit the ball, all nine defensive players become active and use the ball in attempting to prevent the batter from reaching base and
runners already on base from advancing or scoring. while the offense is busy attempting to move runners around the
baseball diamond toward
home plate, the defense uses the ball in various ways to achieve outs. If the defense forces three outs, their team is moved into the offensive role. The exception is if it is the ninth or an
extra inning and they are ahead, in which case, the game ends and the defensive team wins.
Cricket In
cricket, the
fielding team is the defense, while the batting team is the offense; the batting team can only put two players on the field at a time. By getting the batting team's batsmen
out before they can hit the ball to the
boundary or run between the two
batsmen's grounds, the fielding team can prevent the batting team from scoring points. Players can be gotten out if they hit the ball in the air and it is caught by a defensive player before touching the ground, or if the ball hits a batsman's
wicket, either when delivered by the
bowler or when the batsman is not in his ground. By getting all but one of the batting team's players out, the fielding team
ends their opponent's
scoring turn, and may begin its own scoring turn next (though it can choose not to, in the case of the
follow-on). ==Water sports==