Baseball is a way of life in America, with the crack of the bat and the roar of fans providing the soundtrack for the sporting summer. From Opening Day to the World Series, the Major League Baseball season offers plenty of twists and turns thanks to its home run hitters, speedy outfielders, and flamethrowing pitchers.

Here at William Hill, you'll find a wide range of the latest baseball odds and betting markets, from World Series winners to All-Star games.

Betting on Major League Baseball (MLB)

Major League Baseball – commonly called MLB – is the world's premier baseball competition and has the highest total attendance of any sports league around. The biggest names, the hardest hitters and the best pitchers all flock to America to take part in one of the most-watched baseball competitions – it's no surprise that the World Series winner each year is referred to as ‘the World Champion'.

MLB was only officially formed in 2000 but it has been around in other formats for almost 150 years, with the first all-professional team founded in 1869. Today, 30 teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and LA Dodgers enter the season with hopes of winning the World Series at the end of it.

You can bet on every baseball game from around the MLB, with latest odds and live baseball betting on every one of the 162 regular season games – plus the drama of the playoffs. Bet on the number of home runs hit, the margin of victory, the outright division winners and lots more.

The MLB's 30 teams are split into two leagues – American League and National League – with three divisions of five teams in each league. The winner of each division qualifies for the postseason playoffs, with a number of wildcard spots also up for grabs for teams with the best record outside of the six division winners.

Betting on baseball's World Series

Bet on the World Series at William Hill, the ultimate prize in baseball. Every season the champions of MLB's American and National Leagues face off in a best-of-seven series to determine the season's champion. You can bet on the overall winner of the World Series at any point during the baseball season, as well as the World Series MVP, margin of victory and tons more.

Bet on the MLB Most Valuable Player and other player awards

Every year baseball recognises its best players with a series of awards that can be the high point of a player's career. The top award possible is the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, with one player chosen from both the American and National Leagues every baseball season.

At William Hill,you'll also find odds on the Rookie of the Year award for the top first-year player in baseball. Follow the action as the MLB unfolds and get ready to bet on the awards for the standout performers.

Types of baseball betting at William Hill

When it comes to betting on baseball, it can be as simple as picking a team to win the match – known as an outright or money line bet. With over 2,000 games played in every MLB season, there's plenty of odds to choose from.

You'll also find plenty of specialbaseball markets to bet on, including:

- Outright winners: pick the winner of the National League, American League or the World Series
- Run-line betting:handicap betting on individual games, such as whether a team will win by more than a given margin of runs.
- Total runs: the total number of runs scored in the game
- Home runs: bet on how many times the ball will be hit out of the park during a game

Tips for betting on baseball

Baseball can seem like a complicated game for a newcomer, but luckily there's an immense breadth of statistical information that you can use to your advantage when it comes to betting on individual games, World Series champions, or the MVP. Look out for:

- The pitcher's ERA (earned run average) – this is how many runs a pitcher averages over nine full innings of pitching. Anything below 3 is exceptional; an ERA above 5 typically indicates that a pitcher tends to get hit around the park.
- A batter's BA (batting average) – how often a batter records a hit. Around .300 is generally seen as a benchmark of a good hitter, with Ted Williams' 1953 average of .407 still the highest BA on record.
- A batter's RBI (runs batted in) – a batter is credited with an RBI every time he brings home a team-mate to score a run for the team, or hits a home a run himself. 100 RBIs is considered an excellent contribution over a full season.
- A player's WAR (wins above replacement) – advanced stats in baseball include WAR, which measures how many wins a player is worth than a replacement-level player at his position. It's a way of quantifying each player's value with a specific number of wins and is usually a good indicator of who will be in the running for MVP each year. Aaron Judge led the league with 10.6 WAR in 2022 and was duly named the AL MVP.

As well as baseball stats, keep an eye on the following when betting on America's pastime:

- Form: teams can get on hot streaks in baseball, particularly towards the end of the season where line-up rotation takes a backseat in pursuit of going all-out for a playoff spot.
- Team news: injuries can play a big role in the outcome of a season in baseball, particularly among pitchers who are constantly balancing being able to throw at 100mph without burning themselves out.
- Line-ups: in a similar vein, teams will rotate and rest players through the regular season. If you're picking a team because one of their sluggers is red hot, make sure he's in tonight's lineup!

Baseball betting offers and promotions

Baseball betting doesn't get better than at William Hill. Here you'll find all the latest baseball odds and special baseball betting markets, and a massive range of baseball offers and promotions too. Whether you're betting on the next Red Sox v Yankees rivalry game or the winner of the World Series, there's plenty of betting offers to take advantage of:

-Price Boost – boosted prices on certain baseball markets every week
- #YourOdds– can't find the baseball betting market or odds that you want? Just tweet us with #YourOdds and we'll price up your bet.

Hit a home run with baseball betting at William Hill or check out some of our boosted prices and betting promotionson other sports.