Modern Day Baseball Essay

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Recommended: Birth of baseball

Mason Shaw
Career Connections
Mr. Lucas 2nd period
May 23, 2014
Research Paper

History
It is hard to track the origin of modern day baseball. Baseball has been played throughout the centuries. Although baseball originated from America, where it has been played for years, it traces back to a combination of cricket and ‘rounders,’ two games which were brought to America by European settlers. A popular myth is that Abner Doubleday was a Union soldier from the Civil War who “invented” or “created” baseball as it is played today. But, there is no actual proof of this, and Doubleday claims to have nothing to do with the game.

New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club Rules Set
The rules for baseball are found as far back as 1838 in Philadelphia. The first rules which are like the game of baseball we play today come from the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. This Ball Club was a group of around thirty men who regularly played baseball games. The rules (as used today) include a diamond-shaped field with foul lined, three strikes-and-out for a batter, runners must be tagged or thrown out, and made the ‘balk’ illegal. The first official game that was played with these rules was on June 19,1846. The game took place in Hoboken, New Jersey, between the Knickerbockers and the New York Baseball Club. The Knickerbockers lost 23-1.

The National Pastime
The first time in which baseball was referred to as “the National Pastime” came from a New York newspaper titled the New York Mercury in 1856. But, this title for baseball came a bit early. Baseball during the time was a New York game played mostly by immigrants. People who were new to America adopted the game as their own, making new baseball clubs, while the Knickerbockers continued to thrive...

... middle of paper ...

...ght room and light catch/bullpen
Day 4- Long toss, stretch it out
Day 5- (Sometimes you will start this day, or) relax and prepare for start next day
So, as you can see, there is very little a starting pitcher has to do daily. Besides attend practice, the only things a pitcher is really doing is stretching, working out, and throwing.

Works Cited
"Baseball Origins, Growth and Changes in the Game." History of Major League Baseball
From Early Beginnings to Current. N.p., 2004. Web. 15 May 2014.

"Path to the Big Leagues." E-mail interview. 3 May 2014.

"Pitching Rotation and the Bullpen." How Baseball Works (a Guide to the Game of
Baseball). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.

Roberts, Sam. "Just How Long Does the Average Career Last?" The New York Times. The
New York Times, 14 July 2007. Web. 09 May 2014.

Works Cited

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