What is an inning in baseball?

In baseball, an inning is a division of the game in which each team has a turn to bat and attempt to score runs. Each inning is divided into two halves, with the visiting team batting in the top half and the home team batting in the bottom half.

During each half of an inning, the offensive team sends their batters up to the plate in a specific order to try to score runs by hitting the ball, advancing around the bases, and ultimately crossing home plate. The defensive team, including the pitcher and fielders, tries to prevent the offensive team from scoring by getting the batters out.

An inning is complete once both teams have had their turn to bat, with three outs recorded against the offensive team. The game typically consists of nine innings, although extra innings may be played if the score is tied at the end of regulation.

Inning also refers to the entire duration of time required for each team to bat and for the opposing team to counter-bat. Each inning can last anywhere from a few minutes to over half an hour, depending on the number of hits, runs, and outs recorded.