Catching a baseball during a game is a big thrill for many fans.

Zack Hample is an expert at snagging baseballs. He has caught over 4,600 of them.

He has written a book on the subject and can say “please, throw me the ball” in 34 languages.

He has even started a business to help others catch baseballs during a game.

Hample guarantees customers that for $500 they will go home with a ball if he accompanies them.

Words

to snag: to grab, to catch.

Moneyball is a movie which tells the story of a baseball team which was able to compete with richer teams by using mathematical formulas.

The Oakland A’s analyzed many different sets of statistics which enabled them to find very good players – and win games – for a lot less money than teams with much larger budgets.

The film stars Brad Pitt and is set to be released in the fall of 2011.

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An American group is offering people who like to play baseball and to travel the chance to do both at the same time.

Baseball Adventures plans trips for adventurous baseball fans to London, Paris, Greece, China, Cuba and several other international destinations.

Trips consist of baseball games and sightseeing.

The introduction on Baseball Adventures Facebook page reads: “Play baseball, see the world.”

Al Hrabosky is a well-known person of Hungarian ancestry. Nevertheless, not many people in Hungary know who he is.

Hrabosky was one of the best baseball players in the 1970s. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals. His nickname was “The Mad Hungarian”.

On Saturday Hrabosky traveled to the Hungarian city of Szentendre, 20 miles from Budapest, to talk to Hungarian young people about baseball.

He later spoke with fans and stayed on to watch a Hungarian baseball game.

This was his first trip to Hungary.

There are only 1,000 people in Hungary who play baseball at present. However, the sport is becoming more popular with young Hungarians.

Hrabosky, who is now an announcer for the Cardinals, said he hoped that one day a Hungarian baseball player will play professionally in the United States.

November and December are not usually months when people think about baseball.

However, the owners of many American baseball teams are thinking a lot these days about next season. Many are interested in Japanese star Junichi Tazawa.

Eight teams want the 22-year-old pitcher to play for them next year.

It is easy to understand why. Tazawa can throw a baseball 150 kilometers per hour.

Words

pitcher: the player in baseball who throws the ball towards the batter (hitter).

In soccer, a player tries to kick a ball into a goal. In baseball, a ball is hit with a bat and caught with a mitt or glove. In golf, a ball is hit with a club. In tennis, a player uses a racket to hit a ball. And in ice hockey, a player uses a stick to hit a puck into a goal.

The American baseball season kicked off in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The Boston Red Sox, the 2007 champions, played the Oakland A’s.

Many went to the game in order to see Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, a native of Japan, play.

The Red Sox won the game by a score of 6-5.

Words

to kick off: to begin, to start.
pitcher: the baseball player who throws the ball to the hitter.

The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers played a game in Beijing’s Wukesong Stadium on Saturday.

This is the first game between two professional American baseball teams in China.

It ended in a 3-3 tie.

Baseball games will be held at Wukesong Stadium during the Olympics in August.

More of the world’s top athletes have been using steroids.

According to a report released yesterday in the United States, Roger Clemens, one of the best baseball players of the past 20 years, used steroids to help his performance.

The report also said that at least 80 other baseball players have been using steroids.

One of the best players in American baseball used steroids.

Barry Bonds, who holds the record for the most home runs in a season and in a career, used steroids and other drugs to help his performance. Bonds then lied to officials about using them.

A home run is when the ball is hit over the fence.