S.Sefton and A.Young

Falkenberg and Stanley

History and Literature

2 March 2004

The Evolution of Baseball

Imagine sitting at Yankee Stadium eating peanuts and sipping a soda. You are very excited and you can’t wait for the first pitch. Have you ever wondered how the game began? Many people think that baseball evolved from rounders, a game played in the 1600’s. "In spite of evidence showing that baseball evolved from rounders, many people believe that Abner Doubleday invented the game in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839." ("Baseball" 132).

Starting in the 1600’s, people in England played a game called rounders. Rounders was a lot like baseball, but there were some major differences in the rules. For example, if a ball hit a runner while he was running to a base, he was out. This was called soaking or plugging a runner. In the 1700’s colonists played rounders in New England, but the game was often called goatball, stickball, barnball, and sometimes even baseball. Many rules varied according to where the game was played.

In Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, now the location of the Baseball Hall of Fame, children would play a popular game called townball. The problem with townball was that there were not any rules and the game was unorganized. Every hit was fair and there were no such things as strikes. Players ran into each other, and people often were injured. Then Abner Doubleday supposedly made up a whole new game. He named the game baseball.

Every town played one form or another of baseball. The game was played on college campuses, schoolyards, and streets , though later the game was outlawed on college campuses. There could be anywhere from eight to fifteen players on a team. The pitcher was called the feeder, and the batter was called the sticker. Originally baseball was played without gloves or helmets. The catcher had the most protection, they wore steel masks and a glove. There was no limit to the size of the glove. The only other person that was allowed to wear a glove was the first baseman.

Alexander Cartwright is known as the father of organized baseball. In 1845, he formed the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York. Cartwright made a set of rules for his club that helped baseball become what it is today. Many organized baseball groups began to form after the Knickerbocker Club. The Civil War helped spread baseball to many parts of the country. Union soldiers played baseball in their spare time. The soldiers taught their families and friends how to play baseball after the war was over. Soon, people all over the U.S. were playing baseball.("Baseball" 132)

The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball team in 1869. Many other teams followed them and became professional too. The National League was formed of eight pro teams in 1876. The American league was also formed of eight teams in 1901. The Federal League was established in 1914. They sued the American and National Leagues saying that they constituted a monopoly. However, the Federal League fell apart after two seasons.

A philosopher and educator,Jacques Barzun, stated this quote about the importance of baseball-"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." ("Baseball" 135) Baseball has evolved a lot over the years, from small town children playing in the schoolyard to the Major Leagues today. Historians now say that Abner Doubleday had little to do with the invention of baseball, and that baseball most likely did evolve from rounders.