Baseball As It Was

Baseball history illustration: Legend reads “Baseball As It Was.—The second championship game between the Atlantics of Brooklyn and the Athletics of Philadelphia., 1866. The score 33 to 33—game called on account of darkness after the seventh inning. Notice the underhanded pitcher, the gloveless catcher keeping a respectful distance behind the bat, the wide swing of the batsman, the basemen playing frozen to their bags. The gentleman sitting with his feet on a box on the first base line is the umpire. The men at the table are scorers. The gamblers waving bills, the pickpocket caught in the act, the drunkards, in the foreground, illustrate the tendencies that were creeping into the game.” Click illustration to return to previous page.