Who Was Baseball Invented by and How?

The game of baseball is considered one of Americas oldest past-times and unique sports. Many people don't know exactly who or how baseball came to be. Some people that are familiar with baseball believe the sport has been around since 1839, when a civil war hero named Abner Doubleday developed the game. However, this is untrue since references about games resembling the concept of baseball in America date back to the 18th century. 

 

Around the time of the American Revolution, variations of baseball were being played on both college campuses and on schoolyards with young children. The games continued to grow in popularity across the country, especially in newly industrialized cities, leading up to New York City in 1845.

 

In September of 1845, a group of men living in New York City founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. Perhaps the most influential person amongst this group was a man named Alexander Joy Cartwright. Cartwright made a new set of rules for baseball that would end up forming the basis for the concept of modern baseball we all know today. A few of these rules he drew up were playing on a diamond-shaped infield, the three-strike rule, and where the foul lines were going to be placed on the field. Cartwright's amendments to the game made it a faster-paced and more challenging game. These rules helped baseball to differentiate itself from older games such as cricket. 

 

In 1846, the Knickerbockers from New York City played the very first official game of baseball against a team of cricket players. From that day forward, baseball became a fascinating and classic American past-time.