Baseball (sport)

Baseball was a sport played before and after the Great War.

Background
Before the war, baseball was considered a national past time in the United States. Players would matriculate from minor to major leagues, 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.

In the United States, major league teams were divided into the National and American Leagues. The annual champion was 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. Administration of the Boston team was conducted by the Boston Baseball Commission, who managed such logistics as supply deliveries for home, off season, and out of town games. After the war, baseball was played by those who survived both inside vaults and in the wasteland. In Vault 101, inhabitants played baseball in the atrium. The Lone Wanderer pitched four strikeouts in a row, prompting Jonas Palmer to state, "I think we're looking at the new Vault 101 MVP."

Raiders can be seen playing baseball at multiple locations in the Capital Wasteland including Fordham Flash Memorial Field and an unmarked baseball diamond behind the Chryslus Building, southeast of the Bethesda ruins. The raiders encountered at these locations are equipped with baseball bats or Frag Grenades.

A makeshift baseball diamond is set up in the supply plant of the Pitt. A pitching machine is suspended from the ceiling in the middle, with four bases positioned around the room's exterior and baseball bats and gloves near home plate.

Moe Cronin will describe baseball if asked by the Sole Survivor in Diamond City. Cronin states baseball was a violent sport, with baseball bats used to beat the opposing team to death with and that baseball cards were used to track kills made by a player. Cronin also states that catcher's mitts were utilized by players to catch bullets, running the bases was done with only baseball bats available as a defense against incoming baseballs used as projectiles and that baseballs were collected and signed by players to be given to the children of any deceased players killed during the game.

Gameplay
Roles included coach, hitter, catcher, designated hitter, pitcher, and shortstop. Runners could score up to four runs at a time by way of a home run, running 90 feet to each base, or 360 feet to score all four runs.

After the war, Boston's ballpark was turned into a large fortified settlement in the Commonwealth. Posters, billboards, and signage remain pointing to the pre-War purpose of the field. 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.

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.