Baseball betting & odds at William Hill
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 provides 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 market s , on everything from the World Series winners to the All-Star game.
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.
In 2022 the New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, and Houston Astros all won their divisions in the American League. The Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and LA Dodgers were the top teams in the National League.
Those six were joined in the playoffs by the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. It was the Astros who went on to win the World Series with a 4-2 victory over the Phillies.
The 2023 MLB season started on 30th March, with the regular season ending on 1st October 2023. The playoffs will begin on 3rd October with a potential World Series Game 7 scheduled for 4th November.
Next year's season will start even earlier, with a two-game series between the LA Dodgers and the San Diego Padres to be held in South Korea on 20th and 21st March 2024 before a full Opening Day schedule on 28th March.
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.
The defending champions are the Houston Astros, who won only their second title in history in 2022 by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2. Astros' rookie Jeremy Pena won World Series MVP, becoming the first non-pitcher to win the award as a freshman player.
The 2023 World Series is scheduled to start with Game One on Friday, 27th October 2023. The two clubs will play a head-to-head series where the first to win four games is the ultimate champion. Should a Game Seven be needed to settle the World Series, that will be played on 4th November 2023.
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.
Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals was the 2022 NL MVP, while the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge – who smashed the single season home run record in the American League – was the AL MVP.
You can also bet on the annual winners of the Cy Young Award for the best pitcher in each league, named after the legendary baseball pitcher Denton True “Cy” Young. In 2022, Justin Verlander was the recipient of the American League Cy Young Award – his third – and the Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara was the winner in the National League.
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:
- Enhanced Odds – 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 promotions on other sports .