04 Baseball : HID Betfair Education

Introduction

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There are 30 teams who compete in the Major League Baseball (MLB), the baseball league of North America.

The Game

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Each team has nine players and starts the game with a designated pitcher. Other players specialise in specific departments such as short stop, first base etc. Traditionally everyone in the team bats, however in the American League each team also has a tenth player, a designated hitter who bats instead of the pitcher - a peculiarity that has remained since the AL initiated the concept in 1973.

What makes a good team?

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• Pitchers - Each team needs as a minimum five good starting pitchers for the season. The starting pitcher doesn't usually throw every inning during a game, relieving pitchers are used. The collective name for the reserve pitchers is the 'bull-pen', the area where reserve pitchers warm up before a game. A strong bull-pen is essential for team to have a successful campaign, relief pitchers are important as when the starting pitcher tires and is replaced they may need to rescue the situation the starter left them in.

World Series

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In the post-season the eight teams who qualify play series of five or seven games against each other.

Match Betting

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Important things to know:

• Home field advantage
• Is the park hitter or pitcher-friendly? What type of batters does each team have?

In Play Betting

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A few points to be aware of:

Baseball Resources

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Media coverage:

Channel 5 broadcast two games per week - Sunday, the live game of the week, and Wednesday, often delayed by one hour.