Who Invented Softball?

Are you interested in the history of sports, and do you want to know who invented softball? Softball is a team sport that is similar to baseball. It uses a larger ball than baseball, and the pitches are thrown underhand. It is also played on a smaller diamond than baseball is played on. Yet, what is the history to this game, and who invented softball?

The first softball game was played in Chicago. It was played on Thanksgiving Day in 1887. The two teams were composed of alumni from Yale and alumni from Harvard. The alumni went to the Farragut Boat Club to hear the score of the annual football game between their two schools.

After the score was announced, a Yale alumnus threw a boxing glove at one of the alumnus from Harvard. The Harvard alumnus picked up a stick, and swung at the boxing glove. Someone shouted “play ball” and a game started. The boxing glove was tightened into a ball, and the stick served as the bat. Since the ball was so soft, the players didn’t need baseball gloves to play. The first game had a score of forty-four to forty. Yet, this doesn’t answer who invented softball.

Who Invented Softball?

The individual who is considered the inventor of softball is George Hancock. George Hancock was at the first game, and enjoyed this new version of baseball. He developed the seventeen inch ball, and the smaller bat a week after the first softball game.

The Farragut Club then defined the rules for this new version of baseball, using the ball and the bat developed by Hancock. Yet, this new game quickly spread from the Farragut Club to other clubs, and then to the public. Originally, the sport was called “Indoor Baseball.”

The Development of Softball

The game was only played indoors for the first year after its invention. In 1889, it was moved outdoors. The name was changed from “Indoor Baseball” to “Indoor-Outdoor” and the rules were officially published in 1889.

Another version of “Indoor-Outdoor” was played in Minneapolis using a slightly smaller ball. The ball used in Minneapolis was twelve inches large, instead of sixteen inches. The twelve inch ball was slightly harder to hit, and individuals eventually preferred it to the sixteen inch ball. By the late nineteenth century, the twelve inch ball was mainly used.

The sport was actually called a number of different names throughout the years. It was called kitten ball, diamond ball, mush ball, pumpkin ball, and cabbage ball to name a few of the names. The name softball dates back to 1926. Walter Hakanson of the YMCA began calling the game “softball,” and by 1930 the game was predominately referred to as that.

The Rules of Softball

Softball is played between two teams on a field with four bases. The bases are the same as in baseball, and consist of first base, second base, third base, and home plate. In softball, the bases are approximately forty to sixty feet apart. The pitcher’s mound is in the center of the four bases. The pitcher’s mound is closer to home plate in softball than it is in baseball.

The general rules of softball are very similar to the rules of baseball. There are three outs in softball, as there are in baseball. When a player is up to bat, the pitcher must strike out the player using three strikes. However, there are some important differences between baseball and softball.

In softball, there are usually seven innings. However, some leagues play with six innings. The innings are broken up the same as the baseball innings are broken up, and each team plays both defense and offense in a single inning. In softball, the pitcher must pitch underhand. In baseball, the pitcher is allowed to pitch over hand, or allowed to pitch sidearm. However, in softball, the pitcher does not have these choices.