The Beginner's Dugout
Welcome to Beginner’s Dugout! If you’re new to baseball—or baseball-curious—this is the show for you.
Each episode focuses on one key part of the game, breaking it down in simple, beginner-friendly language so you can stop feeling lost and start enjoying baseball with confidence. Whether you’re picking your first team or trying to understand what everyone’s yelling about, we’ve got you covered.
New to baseball? Start here:
EP1: How to Pick Your Team
S2:EP1: How to Watch Baseball (Updated for 2026)
EP3: Pitching Basic
EP6: Batting Basics
EP8: Stats for Beginners
Follow the path, and the game will start to click fast.
The game is complicated. We make it make sense.
The Beginner's Dugout
S2: EP6: Why Are There So Many Games?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Why do Major League Baseball teams play 162 games while most other sports play far fewer? In this episode, we explore the history behind baseball's marathon season, why the sport is uniquely suited for such a demanding schedule, and how leagues around the world approach their seasons differently. From Japan and South Korea to Mexico and beyond, we'll compare game totals, playoff formats, and scheduling philosophies to help new fans understand why baseball's long season is both unusual and essential to the game.
New to baseball? Start with Beginner’s Dugout — the podcast that makes the game finally make sense.