Vintage Base Ball is the re-creation of the game as it was played at any particular time, though most play by the rules of the early 1860’s (some play earlier, some play later… most teams in the Cincinnati area play 1869). The Ohio Village Muffins in Columbus, OH, were the first area team to play the vintage game, beginning in 1981, and were instrumental in the creation of the Vintage Base Ball Association (VBBA), which serves to educate teams on the proper and most accurate way to present vintage base ball. There are now over 100 teams throughout the country, with the majority based in Ohio and the Midwest, and many associated with museums or historic sites. And, as in the earliest days of baseball, all teams are amateur.
The Cincinnati Buckeyes and their fellow clubmates, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, play by the rules of 1869 when playing at Heritage Village. They also have a few ground rules for the field at Heritage Village. However, the game of baseball is basically the same in any era – nine fielders play for nine innings, with each team trying to outscore the opposition by hitting a ball with a bat. But there are many subtleties to the vintage game that spectators should notice, as well as interpretations of rules and customs that sometime differ between teams and venues.
EQUIPMENT
Vintage players do not use gloves. Gloves were not widely used in the game until the 1880’s. The bat is wooden, much heavier and more variable in size and shape than a modern bat, and the ball slightly larger and softer than a baseball of today, with a star pattern or lemon-peel stitch (as opposed to the modern “figure-8”). Typically, the game was played on any flat, grassy field that was as free of obstructions as possible.
CONDUCT
We try to present 1860’s base ball as a gentlemen’s game, and our players are expected to act as such. There’s no spitting, swearing or other action that may be offensive to a lady. We congratulate our opponents when a good play is made, and assist the umpire by making close calls with honesty and fair sportsmanship.
THE UMPIRE
Only one umpire is used in the vintage game, and he typically stands behind and off to the side of the field. If he cannot make a judgement on a play, he may use both players and spectators alike to assist. No hand signals were used; decisions were shouted.
He does not call balls and strikes, but can issue warnings to the striker (batter) or the pitcher if the at-bat is not proceeding well. If such warning is administered and the offender not compliant, he may call balls and strikes. Three strikes is an out and three balls is a free base on balls. Foul balls are not counted as strikes.
THE PITCHER
The pitcher stood only 45′ from the plate and pitched underhand. There is no mound. Unlike today, the pitcher’s responsibility is to pitch the ball “near as possible over the centre of home base” so that the striker can put it into play.
BATTING ORDER
A coin or stone toss preceded each game, and the winning team captain could elect to take the field or hit first. The batting order is not restricted to nine players, and players can be benched and return as often as needed (this is a vintage game custom, rather than rule). At the beginning of each inning, the batter that follows the player that made the final out of the previous inning (as a batter or a runner) is the first batter of the inning… this is a rule.
BATTING
The batter must stand astride a line through the center of home plate. If a third strike is muffed by the catcher, the ball is considered fair and the batter is required to attempt to make his first regardless of the number of outs or runners on base.
FIELDING
The pitcher must be in the pitcher’s box when in the act of pitching. All other fielders are encouraged to position themselves “according to the tendencies of the striker”.
FOUL BALLS
Some of the more noticeable nuances to the vintage game occur with foul balls. In the early 1860’s, players could catch a fair or foul ball on the fly or on the first bound (bounce) to get the batter out. In 1865, that “first bound” rule was eliminated for fair balls (it was deemed “unmanly”). But a foul ball caught on the fly or on the first bound is still an out, even if it is just a foul tick back to the catcher. We will experience both of these rule-sets in any given season as we play teams from both times.
A ball is also deemed fair or foul by what it strikes first, and going past first or third base does not matter. So if a ball is struck two feet into fair territory, then immediately spins foul, it is still a fair ball. If a ball strikes the ground, a player or other object in foul territory and lands in fair territory, it is still foul.
In modern baseball, runners have “free backs” on foul balls. This luxury is not available to the vintage player. If the foul ball is recovered and returned to the hands of the pitcher, the ball becomes “live” again and the pitcher may make a play on any runner that has not returned to their base of origin.
BASE RUNNING
One of the most difficult vintage rules for a new ballist to overcome is that strikers are not permitted to overrun first base. If a player does, he can be tagged out if he does not return to an open base safely.
Stealing bases was never prohibited in the rules, and was a common practice – as was fast pitching. Many teams in the Midwest, including ourselves, prefer a more friendly game. We pitch slow, limit our lead-off to two steps, and we do not steal. We will, however, advance on a muff by the catcher. These customs may not be historically accurate, but many teams find this interpretation acceptable as it opens the game up to a wider variety of players and puts more focus on the original purpose of the game, fun and exercise, rather than the competition of it.
DAN LYON FIELD GROUND RULES
Any ball thrown over the gravel road behind first base or over the picket fence behind third base is considered dead and one base is awarded to all base runners. Any fair ball struck over either is “all-you-can-get” as both are nearly impossible to do (especially with the chicken wire behind the picket fence).
There are NO ground rules when it comes to the woods beyond our outfield, including base balls that are lost to sight. A batter may take all four bases if the ball is not returned to make a play on him.
