Lewes Base Ball

By Bridget Fitzpatrick

Playing by the Old School Rules

With a passion for Vintage Base Ball (yes, it was spelled that way for many decades), the Lewes Base Ball club follows the rules from an era preCivil War, and for several years before the game rules morphed slowly into the rules we know today.

Why the fuss? Nostalgia for the origins of baseball in America.

Vintage Base Ball, like many sports, started with friendly competition between coworkers or neighborhoods, eventually developing into an organized association that regulated the game’s format. As the amateur leagues increased in popularity and became more competitive, professional base ball (it became baseball somewhere around 1897) saw the beginning of upper tier talent playing for wages – from the highest interested bidder.

Lewes Base Ball club adheres to the authentic rules as they were in 1864, those that the Vintage Base Ball Association still enforce in competitive play today. Period equipment and uniform designs including knickerbockers were required in the advanced leagues. Some of the rules seem common to today’s baseball. Nine players, three outs and nine innings. But no gloves. Gloves were prohibited with the exception of catchers, who began using gloves somewhere around the mid-1880s. You won’t find any on the Lewes players. There are plenty of other oddities and terminology. For example, there’s overrunning first base. Foul balls were allowed to bounce once before caught by the fielders, resulting an Out and a pitcher replacement.

Batters had a chance to request the pitcher’s height of the pitch: knee high, waist high or shoulder high. That’s a far cry from pitching of today. Pitches were generally underhand until the late 1800s. The vintage base ball etiquette rules are expected to be followed, such as “gentlemanly behavior” and acceptable language. After all, the leagues of the time tried to mimic the atmosphere of British cricket clubs. And don’t let the name country club fool you. In Vintage Base Ball, country clubs were actually a derisive reference to the less skilled rural leagues. Popularity of local leagues exploded following the Civil War, especially in the Mid Atlantic states. Admission was free until 1858, when professional level teams began charging. However, most clubs remained amateur and casual for many years. Base Ball was a favorite of the working class – company teams, neighborhood competitions, etc.

Women, not to miss the latest craze began playing on their own teams shortly after the Civil War. For many men, this female athleticism was considered unbecoming, and women were prohibited to participate at certain clubs and games. Softball eventually evolved in the 1930s, and although their games were not as popular to attend, women made their mark in an “unladylike” sport. (The hit movie “A League of Their Own was based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, AAGPBL.)”

Today’s Vintage Base Ball leagues remain a popular sport for sentimental baseball enthusiasts and historians. Teams can be seen at annual tournaments throughout the Mid Atlantic region and beyond, and even at many Civil War reenactments.

Lewes Base Ball attended a regional championship on the fields of Gettysburg last summer. This year’s schedule is not yet posted, but keep checking their web site (lewesbaseball.org) for updates.

The Lewes Base Ball team consisted of 20 players during the 2022 season. This year’s roster is under development, but if you’re interested, you have to come up with your own nickname. 2022 saw the talents of Bullfrog, Lovey, Hot Sauce, Moonshine and Bones amongst others. You can watch the ball players at their games on their home field at Five Points Village (near the bike trail on Old Orchard Road). Be sure to watch them as they host “Base Ball at the Beach,” August 27-28.

Spring in the air whispers that soon golf season will be in full swing.