Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-11
TIE NArIoNAL CAME.
Base Bali as Formerly Played-some
Strange Matches Years Ago-Im-
su.a

Times, giving an interesting historical I
sketch Of base ball and some strange
matches when the sport was In Its
Infancy. which show the scientific i'm.
provsment made In the national pastime.
II says:
Base ball really originated in New
York City In lS45, when party Of gem
tlemen so modified the old game Of town
ball as TO create q new game TO which
they gave the name Of base ball. On
September 23d Of that year these gentle
men formally organised the Knioker.
booker base ball club and adopted q
series OF playing rules. Prior to 1845 \
sort Of crude base ball had been played
under various rules, but It was little
more than school boys diversion The
Olympic club OF Philadelphia, had been
| organized in 1888, but 1t played nothing
hut town ball until 1866, when base ball
was adopted in its stead.
In New Rogland, about 80 years ago,
| there was a game called the "New |
| Epgland Came" which was played with |
a small, light ball, which was thrown |
overland to the bat, while in the New |
York game Of base ball as then played by |
the Knicksrboker, BsSle, Gotham and |
Empire elnbs, large elastic ball was
pitched to the bat.
The original rules Of the game were
very vague aud incomplete. The ball
was much too large and heavy, being
allowed a circumference Of 104 inches
and weight Of 81 ounces, just an inch
In size and an ounce in weight greater
than the present limit. There was no
limitation to the leuRth Of the bat. In
the year 1868 two important new rules
we're made, one requiring the pitcher to
stand in space 6 feet by 8, and the
other requiring the umpire to call balls
and give the batsman his first base after
three had been called Until December
l4th, 1864, fair ball, II caught on the
first bounce, put the striker out, but on
the above date the National Associa ion
VI base ball players did away with the
bound catch, except for foul balls, and
finally adopted the fly game. Forty-fve
leet was the distance from the pitchers
, position 10 the home plate until 1881,
when Il was moved five farther back.
On June 18th, 1846, in Hobokeri, N. j.,
3 there took place, between the Kuicker.
= booker and New York clubs, the first
9 match game ever played. II consisted Of
4 only four innings, the rule then being
that the club FIRST making q runs In even
l
o game that ever occurred in Philadelphis
was played by the Equity and Winons
!, clubs on June 18th, 1860, and the first
!. game in San Francisco took place Febru
= airy 22d, Of the same year.
The base ball championship was frs
he contested in 1858. A rivalry had sprunI
70 up between the New York clubs already
n mentioned and the Atlantic club o
IA Brooklyn, the result being that serie
o. championship games was arranged be
tween picked mines OF the two cities, tn
Ed New Workers winning two to the latter
in one. There was no more important con
al tests for the championship till October
=, 1861, when picked mines Of New Yorl
" and Brooklyn again contended for supre
mSoy, Brooklyn winning. In the follow
ing year the Bedford club Of Brook
~ Ign, wTeated the title Of champio
IN from the Atlantic and held II throughou
IT. the succeeding season Of 1868, in whio
CHI year they did not lose a single game,
'es feat that has never been duplicated bu
once, and then by the Cincinnati club /
:, 1869, under the management of Harr
Wright. The Atlantics regained th
On title in 1864 and held It FOR a period
ut three years, their most powerful riv'
IN, during that time being the Athletic clu
in OF thia CITY, which had developed iut1 a
a organization OF wonderful strength.
bis In 1866, though the Athletics encoup
OF cred the best oluba in existence, the
"a were defeated only twice, once by Il
d. Athletics Of Brooklyn, and once by Il
of Union club OF Morrisanis, N. Y. tt
bic feeling with regard to the respecti,
merits Of the Athletics and Atlantlcs "a
verv high between this city and Ne
HE York and when they met here on Oct
OF Der LIST, 1866, to play their long talks
'ty, OF game for the championship the numb
lily, OF people present, including those on
be side as we'll as iusida the enclose
en-. ground, was estimated al 40, 000. it bein
of beyond all question, the larges. atten
ady snoe ever gathered together at any spor
Mr. ing event in this country. The Grow
III was so dense ard packed so closely Il
inc side this enclosure that after OF
inning had been played it was iouI
lots utterly impossible to oOntinua the gam
Will and after a futile attempt TO clear Il
,nr. crowd of the field, roatpoDsment W
iLi reluctantly made to October 22d, on Il
the same grounds, in this city. Oh tn
and occasion, to preclude the obstruction
Om- the held by crowd the price OF admiesil
vas placed at 81, the largest sum ev
= l
le, match, yet 1000 people cheeriully pa
vysy Il and 5000 or 5000 more viewed Il
and game from adj lining eminencss. VII.
ira the Athletics had rolled mp 81 to IL
for their opponents, AID seven inuinga Il
: by been played, the umpire was compelle
'on- by rain aud darkness to call the gam
A dispute over the gate money prevent
another and decisive match between (
clubs that season.
,mas Prior to 1868 the National ASCOT 1ti
Fp Of base ball players prohibited lho GO
r in pensation of players, but this rule was
H., frequently evaded that II was thoua
..or beat to sbTogate 1t in that year aud
neiy establish In lis stead Que dividing bs
ents ball players into professionals and an
and teurs. So numerous had the profession
the clubs become by 1871 that on March II
and OF that year a convention of delega
Ierly from them was held in New York Ci
cru ad aud there was then adopted a code
the championship rules, the most imports
rage Of which was one offered by the Athle
seas CLUB Of this city, that the ohampionsl
: the should belong to the club which won
story sreatest number Of games In q series
sooa five with every other contrasting eli
mon Under this code the championship for
h M next five years was won by the Athlt
acts. club in 1871 and by the Boston in
his four succeeding years. In 1876 tLis p
ngle iessionGl Association was replaced by
OF League, whose championship has si
IN, az been won by the following cluba: Chics
NAV 1870 Boston, 1877 and 1878 Pre-
re dsnoe, 1879 Chicago, 1880, 1881 9
re 1882 Boston, 1883
,ther Few sports Of any hind have presen
.ahe, more notable contests, have been prod
'iooe tive Of more remarkable feats or hi
eved given rise to more curious incidents Il
has base ball. Most ball players of
omo- present day seem to think that games
ty Of Gloss IS 10 require more than niue
n oil nipgs 10 decide them were unknO
h ;n,, prior to the present ers Of small soor
,UiT, but such is not the case. The first ga
,nize OF the kind on record was played by
love Gotham aud Kuiokerbooker clubs Of N
rawn York, on June 30th, 1854, sixteen
plete nings being necessary to decide t. I
June most remarkable extra inning game
, ' 10 record is one played by the Harvard {
lege team with the Manchester olul
most Manchester, N. g., on May 18th, Is
g his "a innings being played on each 3
cisco without q run having bsen made.
r ,; The longest game on record was
neu played at Carrollton, KY, in 1868.
.onfe began at 10 o'clock in the morning q
ward was called at 6 O'Clock in the even
ice owing to darkness, only seven innii
verse having been played. The largest SO
e I y on record ia l62, made by the Athlt