American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is, to touch all bases. It comes from the sport of baseball.
There are four bases in baseball -- first, second and third. The fourth is home plate. Together, the bases form a diamond shape.
When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to each base -- in order -- and touch it with his foot.
It is the only way to score a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted.
The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the nineteen seventy-four baseball season.
Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hitting the most home runs.
A home run is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one home run to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history.
