Baseball (sport)



Baseball was a sport played before the Great War.

Background
Before the war, baseball was considered a national past time in the United States, with teams in every state. A baseball game is played between two teams, each composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense (batting and baserunning) and defense (pitching and fielding). Players would matriculate from minor to major leagues based on skill, statistics of which were kept recorded on individual cards bearing their name and photo. Baseball games were also played by individual towns yearly, such as Monongah in Appalachia. The baseball player's particular choice of chewing material were sunflower seeds.

In the United States, major league teams teams were divided into the National and American Leagues. The annual champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in an event called the World Series, which is determined by the first team to win four of seven games.

The Boston and Texas teams were the last to participate in a World Series, the seventh game of which was scheduled for the afternoon of October 23, 2077. Before that, Boston's swatting sultans had not won a series in nearly 159 years, having won titles previously in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918. The team was coached by Dusty Wilder, and were led by star pitcher Matt "The Missile" Murtagh. Another baseball team, the Capital Congressmen, was based in Washington, D.C. and represented the nation's capital against teams from Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Rules
The game is played by two teams, aiming to score as many hits or home runs (including instances where the ball flies out of catching bounds) as possible. Runners could score up to four runs at a time, running 90 feet to each base, or 360 feet to score all four runs. In the time since the Great War, some have speculated as to what the nature of baseball was based on the equipment, depictions, and euphamisms utilized in playing the sport, perceiving it as a mandatory bloodsport for all ages played under penalty of a fine, celebrating violence, rather than a patriotic American pasttime. Certain Post-War misinterpretations include the following:


 * Baseball players fought to the death using their bats.
 * Baseball cards were used to track kills made by a player.
 * Catcher's mitts were utilized by players to catch bullets.
 * Baseballs were collected and signed by players to be given to the children of any deceased players killed during the game.
 * Baseball players had to run bases, with only baseball bats for defense.
 * Baseballs were utilized as projectiles to knock out opposition as they ran the bases in order to obtain official outs.

Equipment

 * Baseball
 * Baseball bat (Louisville Slugger, Swatter)
 * Baseball base
 * Baseball cap
 * Baseball glove
 * Baseball uniform
 * Batting helmet
 * Home plate
 * Umpire gear
 * Wiffle bat

Roles and positions

 * Catcher
 * Coach
 * Designated Hitter
 * Hitter
 * Pitcher
 * Umpire

Teams

 * Boston home baseball team
 * Capital Congressmen
 * Concord Crushers (Post-War)
 * Diamond City Demolishers (Post-War)
 * Lexington Ladies (Post-War)
 * Quincy Killmeisters (Post-War)
 * Texas home baseball team
 * Charleston (WV) home baseball team (Minor League)
 * Monongah (WV) home baseball team (Minor League)

Characteristics
After the war, the ruins of Boston's Fenway Park was turned into a large fortified settlement in the Commonwealth, built within the former Fenway Park. Posters, billboards, and signage remain pointing to the pre-War purpose of the field. In addition, baseball equipment present at the stadium was repurposed in order to suit security roles, such as umpire outfits and general baseball gear. Umpire equipment was also repurposed in Appalachia for post-apocalyptic purposes.

Appearances
Baseball is mentioned only in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. Baseball equipment appears in Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.