Baseball was invented in 1839 in Cooperstown, New York by Abner Doubleday. The first official baseball game was played in 1846 between the New York Nine and Knickerbockers. A baseball game consists of two teams alternating between offense and defense over nine innings, with the objective being to score more runs than the opposing team. The key skills in baseball include pitching, fielding, hitting, throwing, and base running.