Who Invented Baseball?

Perhaps there is nothing more American than taking your child to a baseball game on a summer day, and buying him or her a hot dog. The love for certain baseball teams has been passed down through generations of families. Interestingly, little is known about who actually invented the game; but, it is now believed that Abner Doubleday was not the inventor as originally thought.

Years ago, it was believed that Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball in 1839. However, this is now known to be a myth. Decades after 1839, a singular testimony affirmed that Doubleday invented the game, even though Doubleday himself never claimed to have done so. Besides that singular testimony, there is no other evidence to support the myth. This includes an obituary in the New York Times for his death, which notably did not mention that Doubleday invented the game.

Why was the myth that Doubleday invented the game so widely believed? There were a number of reasons. First, a panel that was assembled by the pitcher, Albert Spalding helped spread this falsehood. The panel, called the Mills Commission, published a report in 1908 that declared Doubleday to be the inventor.

However, the panel was composed of no histories, and the research methods of the panel have been significantly criticized. Further, there have never been any written records found to prove the Commission’s claims beyond a single letter from Abner Graves. Yet, even the letter does not support a number of the claims made by the Commission—such as the fact that Doubleday designed the diamond shape of the field, and that he wrote down the rules of the game.

Furthermore, the reliability of Graves is questionable because he spent the latter part of his life in a mental institution. Thus, the long standing notion that Abner Doubleday invented baseball is now considered a myth.

First Published Rules of Baseball

The first published rules for baseball were written in 1845. The game that these rules were written for had been around for a number of years and it is sure that this game is what evolved into modern baseball. They were written for a New York baseball club called the Knickerbockers, and they were written by Alexander Joy Cartwright.

Today, Cartwright is thus considered the “father of baseball.” In 1953, Congress labeled Cartwright as the inventor of the game. The current rules of baseball have a clear and proven evolution from these 1845 rules. Cartwright is actually recorded to have also umpired the first U.S. baseball game. He further travelled across the country, teaching the game to individuals from various cities.

It is not quite known how the rules that were written down in 1845 evolved. For example, some individuals believe that the 1845 game that was written down evolved solely from the English games discussed above. Yet, other individuals believe that the 1845 game was a version of an American game called "one ol’ cat." Regardless of where this 1845 game came from, it is certain that this is the game that evolved into baseball.

Origins of Baseball

The sport of baseball has existed for over a century, and the games that baseball evolved from actually date as far back as folk games.

Baseball’s origin is from the English game of “rounders.” Although baseball has evolved from rounders, the exact path of evolution is not known. There were also a number of games played in early America, such as the English cricket or the American “one ol’ cat” which also have elements found in baseball, adding to this uncertainty.

Historians aren’t quite sure which of these older versions of Rounders evolved into baseball. Yet, even in these earlier forms of baseball, the same three strike rule existed. One difference, however, was the runners ran around the bases in the opposite direction. Baseball, most likely, was an amalgamation of these earlier games.