Photos by Brad O’Neil. Right-click for larger images.
The Forest Lake Brewers took a break from their baseball schedule to play a pair of “base ball” games using rules circa 1860 against the St. Croix Base Ball Club on June 1 at Schumacher Field.broadstreet.zone(48036);
“We did this for the first time last year and we had a blast,” Brewers coach Adam Gallatin said. “It’s definitely different.”
The Brewers took the first game of the doubleheader 9-4, while the re-enactors claimed the second game 9-8.
In 1860, fielders did not wear gloves. Players were spared the need to risk their hands by a rule allowing a fielder to put the batter out by catching the ball after one bounce, though infield throws were still winged as hard as they are today, making the old-time game particularly harsh on first basemen.
“It’s very interesting with no gloves,” Gallatin said.
To begin a play, the “hurler” pitched the ball
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