INFORMATION VINE * The History of Baseball *.

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The history of baseball dates back to the 1700s when they played a game similar to baseball using homemade materials. The popularity grew, and in the 1830s-1850s, amateur men's ball clubs were formed. Baseball is a game played between two teams who take turns batting and fielding for nine innings. The sport is most known in the U.S. and Japan but is played in other parts of the world. The MLB has professional baseball players who earn a substantial salary to play every season. Baseball is America's National Pastime!

John Newbery's A Little Pretty Pocket-Book

"A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" is considered the first children's book published. It consists of simple rhymes for each letter of the alphabet. The book includes "Base-Ball," which is the first known reference to baseball in print. 



Photo Courtesy: [John Newbery/Wikimedia Commons]


It was actually referring to the game rounders, which is the original form of baseball. The book was written in 1744 by John Newbery, known as "The Father of Children's Literature." The book initially came with a ball for a boy and a pincushion for a girl.

"Father of Baseball" Henry Chadwick

Henry Chadwick, the "Father of Baseball," was a sportswriter and baseball statistician. He edited the first baseball guide, created box scores, and created the "K" abbreviation for strikeouts. He also created the statistics of batting average and earned run average. 



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Chadwick helped sculpt the public perception of the game and also served on baseball rules committees. "Chadwick was at times a bit self-aggrandizing, but his heart was always deeply rooted in looking after the best interest of the game." ----- William Cook.

First Organized Baseball Game, 1846

On June 19, 1846, the Knickerbockers played the New York Nine on the Elysian Fields. This was the first organized game between two clubs. The New York Nine beat the Knickerbockers 23-1 in four innings. The last recorded professional baseball game at the Elysian Fields was in 1873. 



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The Elysian Fields were in Hoboken, New Jersey. For the first recorded game, Alexander Cartwright was the umpire. Several Manhattan member clubs were using the grounds as their home field.

William Howard Taft Throws The Ceremonial First Ball

On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft made history by becoming the first US president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Since then, the tradition has been carried on by every president except Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump. 



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Taft was at the game with his wife, Helen, and Vice President James Sherman. When the bell rang to start the game, the president stood up in the grandstand and prepared to throw. The president stayed for the entire game and even until the last Philadelphian was out of the stadium.

Rounders 

Rounders is a game played with a ball and a bat, is played between two teams, and is a striking and fielding team game. It involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a rounded wooden bat. The bat could also be plastic or metal. The teams score by running around the four bases on the field. 



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It was called Base-Ball and is popular among British and Irish school children. The difference between rounders and baseball is that the bat in the rounders game is much shorter and is usually swung with one hand. There are also no strikes or walks in the rounders game, and the batter only receives one good ball and must run whether they hit it or not.

New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club 1845

The New York Knickerbockers were the first organized baseball team that played with rules similar to today's rules. They were the "Knickerbocker Base Ball Club," founded by Alexander Cartwright in 1845. The team continued until the early 1870s. Cartwright organized the club to collect the money needed to rent a parkland across the Hudson River. 



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The name Knickerbockers came from the fire company that Cartwright was a member of. Membership in the club required an invitation and payment of dues. The club died out after baseball had become thoroughly professionalized.

"Take Me Out To The Ballgame"

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer and sang by Tin Pan Alley. The song was inspired by a sign that said "Baseball Today - Polo Grounds" while Nortworth was riding a subway train. 



Photo Courtesy: [Jack Norworth/Wikipedia]


It was played at a ballpark for the first time in 1934 and then at the 1934 World Series. It has become the official anthem of North American baseball. It is traditionally sung during the middle of the seventh inning of the game. The fans stand up and sing along.

First Baseball Cap, Straw

The history of the baseball cap can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. The New York Knickerbockers wore the first baseball caps, which were made from straw. They were ineffective and very itchy. The Knickerbockers ditched the straw caps a few years later and wore a wool cap that featured a flat, paneled crown and a short visor to shield the sun. 



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A huge moment for the ballcap was in 1860 when the Brooklyn Excelsiors wore a ball cap with a longer brim and a deeper, button-topped crown. In the next forty years, other styles were introduced.

Baseball During the Civil War

Union soldiers introduced others, including Southerners and Westerners, to baseball during the Civil War. Thousands of soldiers learned the game. Prisoners at Salisbury Confederate Prison stated that baseball games were played nearly every day. 



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The prisoners were also allowed to whittle, write a letter, attend lectures, read, perform theatre, play cards, and go fishing. During the war, baseball served an important role; on the front lines, baseball became an important diversion for the more than three million Americans serving in the war. Baseball appeared to have been the most popular sport in the army camps.

1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings

The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first all-professional baseball team in 1869. They had ten salaried players, and the Cincinnati Base Ball Club was formed in 1866. Harry Wright and George Ellard organized the professional team, and they played their first game on May 4, 1869. 



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They had a record of 57-0 with Association clubs matches; it was the only perfect season in professional baseball history. They put Cincinnati on the map as a baseball town.

Record of Most Home Runs in a Match

Bobby Lowe was the first baseball player to hit four home runs in a single game on May 30, 1894. The fans threw $160 in silver coins onto the field after his fourth home run. Lowe hit the fewest career home runs, with only seventy-one. 



Photo Courtesy: [National Baseball Hall of Fame/Wikipedia]


Ed Delahanty was the second player to hit four home runs in a game two years after Lowe. The record stood for thirty-six years. In total, fourteen players have hit four home runs in a game, but only five have been selected for the Hall of Fame.

New York Yankees Get Numbers on Their Uniforms

The New York Yankees came up with the idea of making players easier to identify by having numbers for each player on the back of their uniforms. The jerseys were initially numbered based on the player's spot in the batting order. 



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The Yankees became the first team to have numbers on their jerseys in 1929. The idea caught on quickly with other teams. By 1931, all American League teams had numbers on their jerseys. Numbers have become synonymous with certain players. They are no longer numbered for their batting order.

Kenesaw Mountain Landis, MLB Commissioner

Kenesaw Mountain Landis was the first Commissioner of Baseball, and he is also remembered for his handling of the Black Sox scandal. He is credited with restoring public confidence in baseball because of his firm actions and iron rule over baseball. 



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"We want a man as chairman who will rule with an iron hand. Baseball has lacked a hand like that for years. It needs it now worse than ever. Therefore, it is our object to appoint a big man to lead the new commission." ---- John Heydler. Landis was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1944.

1800s Knickerbocker Rules

The Knickerbocker Rules were a set of twenty rules for baseball. The basic fly rule for putting batters out seems to have been part of baseball since the earliest English stoolball and cricket account. There were four men on the rule committee. 



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The core of the rules remain, the four-base diamond, nine innings, three outs, 90-foot base paths, batting in rotation, nine-man teams, throwing runners out, and each player defending a specific area and having a specific job.

Baseball During World War II 

During World War II, many baseball stars left to go to war. 500 Major League players left to join the military. Two MLB players died in WWII, Harry O'Neill and Eugene Gedeon. President Franklin Roosevelt gave his endorsement for baseball to continue during the war. 



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"I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people employed, and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before." ------ President Franklin Roosevelt. A team of racially mixed U.S. players formed teams and played many of their games at the Hitler Youth Stadium in Nuremberg.

The National Association of Baseball Players Was Founded in 1857

The National Association of Base Ball Players ( in the 19th century, the sport was spelled with two words) was the first to govern American baseball. It was founded in 1857, with the first convention being that same year in New York City. The association also established standards for official scoring, a championship, amateurism, and the contest's integrity. 



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This was the end of the Knickerbocker era. The last convention was held in 1871 and had hundreds of members represented only via state associations. It provoked the establishment of separate professional and amateur associations. It is considered the first professional sports league.

8 Original National League MLB Teams

The National League had eight original members and was founded in 1876. The teams were the Boston Red Stockings, currently the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Stockings, now the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, the Louisville Grays, Mutual of New York, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the St. Louis Brown Stockings. 



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The American League of Professional Baseball was founded in 1901. The league was more focused on clubs rather than on players. They had eight teams against eight teams, for a total of 16. Now there are 30 teams total. 

1903, First World Series

The first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball was the 1903 World Series in Boston. It was the American League champion Boston against the National League champion Pittsburgh. It was a best of nine series. 



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The first three games were played in Boston, the next four in Allegheny, and the last game in Boston. Boston won the World Series, five games to three. It brought the American League prestige because it proved their best could beat the National League's best. The World Series continued every year, except 1994 when it was canceled.

"Black Sox" 1919 Baseball Scandal

Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in the Black Sox Scandal. They threw the series in exchange for money. Arnold Rothstein ran the scandal. 



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They were all acquitted in a public trial in 1921, but Judge Landis permanently banned all eight men from playing professional baseball. He made it clear that all eight accused players would remain on the ineligible list. Arnold Gandil, Eddie Cicotte, Oscar Felsch, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles Risberg, George Weaver, and Claude Williams were the players involved.

The Dead Ball Era

The dead-ball era was the period from 1900 to 1919. The teams played in spacious ballparks that limited hitting for power; the ball used was dead both by design and overuse. Ball scuffing and adulteration by pitchers was not against the rules. The era was known for low-scoring games and a lack of home runs. The lowest league run was in 1908; teams averaged only 3.4 runs per game. 



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It was much more of a strategy-driven game during this era. Some other factors were the foul strike rule, the spitball, and the fact that the baseball would be used in play for over 100 pitches. The era ended suddenly, and most thank Babe Ruth for that. Babe Ruth came in as the home run king.

Segregation in Baseball

The color barrier in American baseball excluded players of African Americans from Major League Baseball. It was sometimes called a gentlemen's agreement. Because of the line in the early 20th century, many black baseball clubs were established during the 1920s and 1940s. 



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The barrier was broken when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. The last MLB team to integrate was the Boston Red Sox; they didn't integrate until 1959 due to the team owner Tom Yawkey's resistance.

National Baseball Hall of Fame, 1936

1936 was the first year that inductees were selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Members of the Baseball Writer's Association of America were given authority to select players from the 20th century. The Veteran's Committee selected players from the 19th century.



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 The ballot was loaded with an impressive array of talent. The first Hall of Fame class was announced on February 2, 1936. The inductees were Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner.

1931, Johnny Jones traded for a Turkey

Joe Engel actually traded Johnny Jones, his shortstop, for a turkey. Jones had played ten games with the Brooklyn Dodgers and didn't hit very well. Engel wasn't happy with Jones' performance. He traded Jones to the Charlotte Hornets for a twenty-five-pound turkey. 



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He stated that the turkey was having a better year. He requested to have the turkey by February 22, so he could serve it to the sportswriters at the Southern Baseball Writer's Association meeting.

Boston Bloomers

One of the most successful all-female baseball teams was the Boston Bloomer Girls baseball club. They wore comfortable pants instead of the log skirts; that's how they got their name. Young women who went against the traditional fashion norms were often called "bloomer girls." 



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Some cities banned women's baseball. The Bloomer Girls toured the U.S. in 1897. They began to play better with more experience and drew large crowds of fans. They still toured in the early 1900s, but their team also included some males.

Ty Cobb 

Tyrus Raymond Cobb was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He spent twenty-two seasons with the Detroit Tigers and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb is credited with setting ninety MLB records during his career. 



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He still holds the record for stealing all bases and as the youngest player to ever compile 4,000 hits and score 2,000 runs. He was targeted for abuse by veteran players to try and force him off of the team. He was also not a stranger to controversy during his career. He was the first player to be paid a five-figure salary.

Toni Stone

Toni Stone (Marcenia Lyle Stone) was the first woman to play professional baseball for the Indianapolis Clowns. She also played with the San Fransisco Sea Lions, The New Orleans Creoles, and the Kansas City Monarchs. She retired from baseball in 1954. 



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She initially said she was seventeen instead of twenty-seven, so she would be able to play. She was asked to play in a skirt or shorts, and she refused, but she did wear a foam rubber chest protector. After her baseball career, she went on to work as a nurse and care for her sick husband. 

Cal Ripken Jr. Holds This Record

Nicknamed "The Iron Man," Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. played as a shortstop and third baseman for twenty-one seasons in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles. Cal won two Gold Glove Awards for his defense and was a 19-time All-Star. 



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He was named the American League's Most Valuable Player twice. He holds the record for consecutive games played, 2,632, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2001, Cal was honored with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

Roger Maris Breaks Babe Ruth's Record

Roger Maris played right fielder in MLB. He is best known for breaking Babe Ruth's home run record that remained unbroken until 1998. Maris played for the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, the New York Yankees, and the St. Louis Cardinals. 



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His home run record was controversial. Babe Ruth's record was 60 and was set when they played 154 games per season. The games were extended to 162 games. Maris hit the 61st home run in the last game of the season. Some said it wasn't legit because he had more games to score home runs than Babe Ruth.

Little League Founded in 1939

Little League baseball start in 1939 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It was started by Carl E. Stotz and brothers Bert and George Bebble. It originally was just boys, aged eight to twelve; girls were allowed as of 1974. The game is played on a field two-thirds the size of a professional baseball field, and the games are six innings. 



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Little League baseball expanded greatly following World War II. In 1974, softball for juniors and seniors was established. The American Legion Baseball for teenagers was founded in 1925.

Baseball Field Requirements

Every field is slightly different but certain areas of the field of play must be uniform across baseball. Parks must have a minimum distance of 325 feet between the home plate and the nearest fence or stand. The infield must be square, with 90 feet between each base, and the bases must be the same level as the home plate. 



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The pitcher's plate must be a 24 x 6-inch slab of whitened rubber and be ten inches above the home plate's level. The home plate is a 17-inch square, and the other bases are 15-inch squares. The park dimensions were put into place due to the stadium controversy of the Brooklyn Dodger's move to Los Angeles in 1958.

Baseball Requirements

The baseball needs to be comprised of a rubber or cork center wrapped in yarn and then covered with white horsehide or cowhide. The ball must be 9-9 1/4 inches in circumference and a mass of 5 to 5 1/4 ounces. 108 hand-woven stitches must bind together the baseball through the cowhide leather. 



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The stitching is necessary because it plays a huge role in the trajectory of a thrown baseball. In the early 1800s, there was a great variety in the size, shape, and weight of baseballs. Pitchers usually made their own balls. In the mid-1850s, the ball rules were regulated.

Covering a Ball in Mud is a Requirement

Baseballs must be rubbed in rubbing mud before games to treat the balls to give pitchers better control and a firmer grip on the balls. Before the rubbing mud was available, baseballs were rubbed in a mixture of water and infield soil. 



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Lena Blackburne discovered the rubbing mud's location and founded the company that he used to sell it. By the 1950s, every major league team used it. The mud is from the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, and it is cleaned and screened before the sale. Before every game, six dozen or more balls are rubbed with the mud.

Wild Card Rule Introduced in 1994

The wild card teams are the two teams in each of the leagues that have qualified for the postseason despite not winning their division. It was first instituted in the MLB in 1994. In 1994, one wild card team per league advanced to the Division Series. 



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In 2012, two wild card teams from each league would play each other to determine the one team from each league that would advance. Many wild card teams have won the World Series, and a wild card team has appeared in the World Series each year from 2002 to 2007.

Balk Rules Introduced in 1898

When a pitcher makes an illegal motion on the mound that the umpire deems deceitful to the runners, it's called a balk. The specific rules for balks were introduced in 1898. These rules were put in place to keep the pitcher from trying to deceive the baserunners. 



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If the pitcher is caught doing this, any player on base is awarded the next base, and the pitch is considered a dead ball. That is called "free advancement." Without these rules, pitchers were allowed any means of fooling baserunners.

No Strikes!

In the early 1800s, baseball didn't include strikes. The batters could sit back and wait for their perfect pitch before even attempting to swing. In 1858, the new rule passed that strikes could be called, but it wasn't as simple as it is now. 



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An umpire couldn't just call out "strike" at the first good pitch, he would issue a warning first. He also couldn't call a strike on their first pitch, unless the batter swung and missed. Batters could call their pitch until 1886.

American Revolution Baseball, Cricket

Early baseball was a variation of bat-and-ball games in the medieval world. During the Revolutionary War, American soldiers wrote about playing baseball. During the War, armies had a considerable amount of downtime in camp; sports and games were a fixture of camp life. 



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There were plenty of ball games, which were similar to baseball, like cricket. It was encouraged by superiors to keep their men active. Boys during this time would use homemade items to play with, and the rules were very relaxed.

2 Versions of Baseball (1861-1865)

By the mid-nineteenth century, there were two distinct brands of baseball. In New England, the Massachusetts Game was played on a rectangular field, with overhand pitching, and the fielders could put out a baserunner by striking him with a thrown ball. 



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The New York Game was played on a diamond-shaped field, and the pitcher threw underhand. The Massachusetts Game was played throughout the nineteenth century, but the New York Version was promoted by the Knickerbockers and won out as the preferred form of the sport.

William Hulbert, National League Created, 1876

William Hulbert was the National League's founder and president of the Chicago White Stockings franchise. Hulbert founded the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs and was elected the president of the club. He ruled with an iron fist and insured league integrity and compliance with league rules. 



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He banned four players from the league for life because they conspired to throw the 1877 pennant. He passed away in 1882 at the age of 42 from a heart attack. Hulbert joined the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. 

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth, born George Herman Ruth Jr., played professional baseball for 22 seasons and was called The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat. He started as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox but became a really well-known slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. 



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He is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes and the greatest baseball player of all time. He was one of the first players to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He was also well-known for poor behavior during parts of his playing career.

Fair Ball Rule, 1869

A fair ball is a batted ball that allows the batter to attempt to reach first base. In the early 1860s, players could catch a fair or foul ball on the fly or on the first bounce to get the batter out. The "first bounce" rule was eliminated for fair balls in 1865. 



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But a foul ball caught on the fly, or the first bounce is still an out. A ball is deemed fair or foul by what it strikes first; if a ball is hit two feet into fair territory, then immediately spins foul, it is still a fair ball. A fielder, however, cannot intentionally swat a ball from one to the other.

1884, Overhand Pitching Was Legalized

Overhand pitching was not allowed until 1884 when National League pitchers could throw from any angle, but American Association pitchers were limited to pitching below the shoulder until 1885. The National League removed all restrictions from the pitchers. 



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The pitching box was eliminated for a slab placed 60 feet 6 inches from home base. The pitching distance was moved back five feet. In the 1890s, pitchers throwing breaking pitches at the new distance tired much more quickly, but the pitcher's craft was advancing.

Negro National League

African-Americans played baseball and played it very well. In 1920, Andrew Foster and his fellow team owners came together and created the Negro National League. They weren't allowed to play with white players, so they formed their own teams and went across the country to compete. 



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Rube Foster partnered with John Schorling and developed one of the finest Black baseball teams in the country. During the 1910s, white booking agents dictated when and where black teams could play. The color barrier was broke in 1947, thanks to Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (Jackie Robinson) was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He broke the color barrier and started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The Dodgers ended racial segregation when they signed Robinson. 



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Robinson's MLB career lasted for ten years, and he was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons, and he also won the MVP in 1949. Robinson played in six World Series and helped the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series. His number forty-two was retired across all major league teams.

Walter Johnson & Christy Mathewson, Dominant Pitchers

Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson were signed as teens and put in the major leagues at a very young age. Throughout the first part of the 20th century, both Johnson or Mathewson were the premier pitchers in the major leagues putting up staggering numbers. 



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Johnson broke out in 1910, and his numbers are generally superior due to his greater longevity and consistency. Mathewson has a much better win-loss record. They both came away with one career World Series title and were both great pitchers.

Seventh Inning Stretch History

The seventh-inning stretch is a long-standing tradition and takes place during the seventh inning of the game. Fans stand up, get a drink or snack, and stretch. It's also the point of the game where "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is played. 



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The history of the stretch is that back in the late 1800s, Brother Jasper noticed his players becoming restless, so he called a timeout of the game and instructed everyone to stand and stretch and move around. It worked so well that he would call for a seventh-inning rest period at every game. It spread to the major leagues after the New York Giants started doing it.

Cancellation of the 1994 World Series

The 1994 World Series was canceled because of the MLB Players Association strike. It was only the second time that a World Series was not played. It was supposed to have been the first year of a regularly scheduled three-tier playoff system. 



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The World Series was scheduled to air on ABC, but because it was canceled, ABC and NBC shared broadcast rights to the 1995 World Series. After that season, Fox started televising MLB games.

2010 "Year of the Pitcher"

The season of 2010 was labeled as the Year of the Pitcher. There were six no-hitters thrown. Armando Galarraga had a near-perfect game. MLB pitchers combined a total of 329 shutouts and a record 34,306 strikeouts. 



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There were fifteen pitchers that recorded 200 or more strikeouts. The Texas Ranger's pitcher, Neftali Feliz, earned forty saves, breaking the rookie record. Stephen Strasburg struck out forty-one batters in his first four major league starts. It was a very successful year for MLB pitchers.

1968, Strike Zone reduced/Pitcher's Mound Lowered

Pitchers during the mid-1900s had a distinct advantage over hitters and had hacked the game of baseball. The public was getting tired of all the pitchers' duels. After the 1968 season, MLB officials lowered the pitcher's mound to ten inches and shrank the strike zone to its modern size. 



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It was done to add more enjoyment for the fans and more offense in the games. The umpires were also asked to enforce the rules on illegal pitches better. The rule changes did what they were meant to do and made things fair and more fun to watch.

"America's National Pastime"

We play baseball as kids, we watch it and listen to it as adults, and we pass the love for it down through generations. It is closely tied to us in a very personal way, and baseball has had a very active role in shaping this nation. It inspired movements, instilled pride, and even healed cities. 



Photo Courtesy: [Michael L. Butterworth/Wikipedia]


Baseball became a pastime for soldiers during the war, to have some fun and forget about the seriousness of their situations for a little while. Prisoners and guards played baseball as a pastime as well. The game has been around for centuries and therefore is called "America's National Pastime."