Hoboken, New Jersey is famous for being the location of the very first recorded baseball game that was played under the official rules that most Americans recognize. It makes sense that the game would get the recognition it gets in Hoboken, thanks to its beginnings as a resort town.
When Colonel John Stevens purchase the Hoboken area in 1783 for the equivalent of $100,000 in today’s currency he bought it with the intention of building a resort. His plans for the resort started with the River Walk that eventually converged upon Elysian Fields, an open meadow upon which many would enjoy a recreational day.
Eventually this open meadow would become the home of the first officially recorded baseball game on June 19, 1846 between the Knickerbocker Club and the New York Nine. The Nine won that game by a score of 23-1. Although this is considered the first official game, the first actual game was played on this same field on October 6, 1845. That game was among 14 members of the Knickerbocker Club, with Alexander J. Cartwright as the captain of one team and Curry as the captain of the other team. This time the game was won by Curry’s team with a score of 11- 8 after 3 innings. The Knickerbockers played several intra-squad games prior to playing its official game against the New York Nine.
Although Town Ball is the considered the precursor to the game of baseball, the Hoboken game is the one that really defined the game as we know it now. Prior to the now famous official games, towns put together games that were played very differently from how we know the game.
Town Ball was played on either a square field or a rectangular field. Any number of players could participate in the games. The innings were defined with the “in” being the team at bat. Outs were defined as missed balls or if the batter struck the ball. The runner could be struck out by being struck by the ball thrown by the fielder so long as the runner is was not on a “safe haven” or a base. The innings changed sides after either one out- all out or all out-all out. That means if one person is out the sides switch immediately or all players must be out before the sides could switch, much like the game of Cricket.
The rules as created by Alexander Cartwright, aka “The Father of Baseball” changed the way the game was played by having the batter out after three strikes and the runners were considered out after a “hand out”, which means a fielder caught the ball in the air or if the runner is tagged out (rather than beaning them with the ball). Cartwright was the first to define foul and fair territory.
If we were to watch a Town Ball game today, we would hardly recognize it, but if we had the pleasure of watching the first official game in Hoboken, New Jersey we would definitely recognize the game, even in its rough beginnings.
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