Two vintage 19th century base ball games will be held at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds state Rt. 55, Grahamsville, Sunday, Sept. 8 at noon, sponsored by the Time and the Valleys Museum in Grahamsville. The Mountain Athletic Club of Fleischmanns will face off with the Connecticut Base Ball Club of Hartford for a double-header of 1864 and 1895 rules base ball.
Before each game, a brief talk will be given describing the differences between the rules in 1864 or 1895 and the rules today.
“These are no ordinary ball games,” states Collin Miller, captain of the Mountain Athletic Club. “More than likely, the players and the style of play will resemble what your great, or great-great-grandparents would’ve seen over 150 years ago.”
The first game will be played by the rules and customs of base ball (spelled this way in the 1800s) in 1864. Fielders do not wear gloves, at all; gloves would not come around until the 1880s. The base balls are also stitched differently – often called a “lemon peel” – and made slightly larger than the modern “horseshoe” ball. And a batted ball caught on a “bound” or one bounce is an out. Of particular interest is that pitches are tossed underhand from a pitcher’s box 45 feet from home plate – a round metal dish ten inches in diameter. Umpires do not call a ball or strike on the batter until they issue a warning: either to a pitcher for not serving up a hittable pitch, or to the batter for being too choosy with what to swing at.
The second game will be played by 1895 rules.
“Base ball in 1895 had subtle differences to the modern game. For example,” states Miller, “the only balls landing in foul territory that are considered a strike on the batter are those that were bunted; they were referred to as a ‘foul strike.’ The gloves were quite different as well.”
Admission is $5 per person with children under 10 free; bring chairs. Traditional base ball refreshments will be available for purchase at the concessions stand. For more information about this program, call 845-985-7700 or email info@timeandthevalleysmuseum.org
