During the 18th and 19th centuries, Townball, a popular bat-and-ball game, would become the direct precursor to American baseball. What started as a children’s game morphed into a game of adult leisure, and diverging rule sets and equipment emerged based on the part of North America it was being played in. The most famous variations of Townball were Philadelphia, Massachusetts (or New England), and New York. The Philadelphia version featured lots of runs and was very fast paced. The bases much closer together, and each hit resulted in either a “homerun” or an out. If the score was low at the end of the game, that was used as proof of skilled fielders and good defense tactics.  The Massachusetts version had an interesting mix of more modern baseball rules with other interesting antique rules, and it was agreed that this version required more skill than the Philly version. In Massachusetts Townball, the bases farther apart and allowed offensive players to stop at the bases. The ability to stop at bases dramatically increased the offensive strategy employed by hitters and base runners. It was not uncommon for games to take more than one day to play. The New York Townball version featured the iconic three-out rule, as well as nine innings serving as the length of the game, and the diamond shape of the bases, which would serve as the inspiration for modern baseball.

Regardless of the version being played, they all share similarities to their common ancestor sport of Rounders. Modern baseball would eventually overtake Townball in popularity, but it owes its legacy to these Townball versions. When this series of lessons is presented, I usually start with the Philly version because it requires the least knowledge of base running, and is very exciting for the hitting team. I would next introduce the Massachusetts version, which has longer base paths and more running strategy. Finally, the New York version is very similar to modern baseball, which completes the evolution of Townball’s influence on today’s modern American baseball game.

 Materials: 

·      A large play area (gym or outside)

·      A bat

o   I actually prefer a cricket bat as opposed to an American baseball bat for this sport, but a whiffle ball bat would suffice. For the Philly version, also have a small one-handed bat as an option too.

·      Rubber Disc Dots for bases, but cricket stands would also work well

·      Small dodgeballs if played indoor, tennis balls if played outdoor

 

Prior Knowledge: The students should be studying early United States history, and works well when paired with other bat-and-ball sports.

 

Philadelphia Townball

·      The base path resembled a square, and there were four bases. The batter would stand in-between the first and fourth base, and the pitcher would stand in the middle of base area. The bases would be closer together (most reports say about thirty feet in diameter, or 19 feet from base to base), and bases were not safe havens for the runners. This version produced many more runs than the other versions of the game because every hit was a homerun or an out.

·      Typically there were eleven members per team.

·      The pitcher would pitch the ball to the batter, and the batter would try to strike the ball. The style of pitch was unknown, but probably underhand. If the ball were hit, the hitter would run through the bases, trying to make it to the fourth base. There was no foul territory; any hit was a good hit. If the batter could run through all four bases, that tallied a point for the team. With younger students, it may be best to use a tee to guarantee hits, but if you were playing with older students, underhand pitching would be good.

·      There were only two assigned positions on defense: the pitcher and the catcher. Basically everyone else could stand where they wanted on defense.

·      If the struck ball was caught in the air, or caught off the first bounce, then the hitter was out.

·      If the batter missed the ball three times, they were out. However, if the catcher dropped the pitch on the third swing, the batter was allowed to run.

·      If the base runner was hit with the ball by a fielder who threw it at them at any point before they reached fourth base, they were out. This was called “soaking” or “plugging.”

·      In Philadelphia Townball, two innings of all-out were played.

o   Games were played in innings, which were one-out, all-out, or all-out, all-out. The difference was that in one-out, the offense and defense would switch every time there was an out. With all-out, every player needed to get out before the offense and defense switch was made. Either there was an agreed upon number of innings, or there was a score that needed to be scored for the win.

·      Players were allowed to use either two handed cricket bats or one-handed Rounders bats.

·      Undetermined amount of innings were played, but it was many (11,12, or even 19 innings). There is evidence that the game was played until it became too dark to see (natural time limit).

 

Massachusetts Townball

·      A team had to field at least ten players for a team, but up to fourteen players per side was allowed.

·      The base path for Massachusetts resembled a large square. The batter stood in between the first and fourth base. Running to first base was fairly easy after the hit, but making it to second was more difficult. The bases were sixty feet away from each other, so running from the hitting box to first would have been only thirty feet, but first to second would have been the full sixty feet. From second to third and third to fourth would also be sixty feet each.

·      In Massachusetts Townball, the ball was pitched overhand and thrown hard. If you are playing with younger students, it may worth still using a tee or pitching underhand. However, if you were playing with older skilled students, pitching the ball faster would more accurately represent the version of the game.

·      In this version, there was not a choice between hitting style, only a two handed bat could be used. Either a cricket or baseball style bat would be fine, but not a one-handed bat or paddle.

·      One of the best hits would be to lightly hit the ball backwards over the catcher. Since there are no foul balls, this would keep base runners safe and almost always ensure a base hit. Bunting techniques would have been used a lot more in this variety of the game.

·      The biggest difference in this version compared to the Philly version is that base runners can now stop at any base they want. The base acts as a safe haven from being soaked. Because they can stop at bases, more strategy is employed, and communication between base runners is needed so they do not end up stopping at the same base. Since only one runner can stay at a base, if two players are at a base, the second runner to get to the base is entitled to it. A runner on first base must run after the hit.

o   To avoid being soaked, base runners do not have to stay within the base lines.

·      The defense had a variety of ways of getting the offensive team out. Catching ball in the air and “soaking” (hitting a runner with the ball) were the main ways of getting players out. The runner must be off the base to be soaked. If the runner was hit by the ball from a hit, that would also be an out. Strikeouts, which were either missing the ball three times, or not swinging at good pitches three times, also resulted in an out. This version was different than the other two because catching the ball after one bounce did not result in an out; the ball had to be in the air.

·      In Massachusetts Townball, the one-out all-out inning version played. Teams alternated back and forth until one team scored 100 runs (it could be less if both teams agreed on it).

o   Games were played in innings, which were one-out, all-out, or all-out, all-out. The difference was that in one-out, the offense and defense would switch every time there was an out. With all-out, every player needed to get out before the offense and defense switch was made. Either there was an agreed upon number of innings, or there was a score that needed to be scored for the win.

 
New York Townball

·      This version of Townball featured the modern diamond shape of four bases, with the fourth base being the same area that the batters would stand to hit the ball. The playing field and bases were farther apart than Philadelphia but shorter than the Massachusetts version. Bases were twenty-five to forty feet away.

·      There were nine players to a side in this Townball version.

·      One of the main differences of New York Townball is that defenders could not hit the runner with the ball anymore; they must tag the runner, or tag the base, which has similarity to stumping a player in Rounders.

o   Because tagging the bases could result in an out, this dictated that there would be a defensive player assigned to each base. This meant that there were more assigned positions in the New York version than any other version of Townball, which consisted of a: pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, and a third base, which left four players to play the outfield and infield (which looks very similar to modern baseball).

o   Like the Massachusetts version of Townball, runners could stop at any base.

·      Even though the New York version is considered the predecessor to modern baseball, they did not allow overhand pitches the way the Massachusetts version did. The pitcher could only pitch underhand.

·      While this version was said to be the direct ancestor to modern baseball, it was similar to Philly Townball in that catching the ball in the air as well as off of one bounce was an out.

·      This version of Townball only allowed a two handed bat.

·      One of the clearest reasons that the New York version of Townball is considered the direct ancestor of modern baseball was its unique rule that said the offense and defense would switch after three outs. The New York version also featured nine innings for a full game, which again is the same as modern baseball.

 

Aims:

Direct:    For the students to learn the history of Townball within the Early United States, to see its connection to American baseball, and to serve as an introduction to other bat-and-ball sports.

 

Indirect:  

• Listening to directions

• Teamwork and team building

• Communication

• Strategy

• Sportsmanship

 

 Physical skills practiced: 

·      Running

·      Catching a ball

·      Hitting a ball with an implement

·      Tracking a moving target, whether the ball or a runner

 

Control Of Error: 

The instructor will have to act as the referee and scorekeeper for the different Townball games.

 

Cultural Connections:

Sports played in early America reflected the status of the people who were playing it. There was a high class, middle class, and lower class, which designated ones standing in military and society. This meant that there was not too much mingling between petty soldiers and higher-ranking officers. While most of the American games derived from English games and they admired English culture, the American revolutionary was fiercely independent politically.

Sports in general were spontaneous, informal, and details of the games were not recorded. We assume it is because they did not care about who was on which team, how long they played or different rule sets they used. What is most interesting is they never mentioned which team won either. It seems like sport was played for the sake of the game, and not to brag over others or for one team to gloat. Soldiers really did play for the fun of it, and to stay in shape. “Since ‘sport represents a microcosm of society and its values,’ observations of Revolutionary sports reveal a less organized, less specialized, and more spontaneous society than modern America.”

 

Age: Perfect for lower elementary, but would certainly still be fun for upper elementary and middle school

 

Bibliography:

 Ledbetter, B. Sports and Games of the American Revolution. (1979). Journal of Sports History. Volume 6, Number 3.

 Thorn, J. (2013). A Reconstruction of Philadelphia Townball. Our Game. Major League Baseball Blog. Medium. https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/a-reconstruction-of-philadelphia-town-ball-f3a80d283c07 Last retrieved 6/3/21.

 Thorn, J. (2012). The Game that Got Away. Our Game. Major League Baseball Blog. Medium. https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/a-reconstruction-of-philadelphia-town-ball-f3a80d283c07 Last retrieved 6/3/21.

 The Massachusetts Game. (2021). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Massachusetts_Game. Last retrieved 6/3/2021.

 Townball. (2021). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_ball. Last retrieved 6/3/2021.

 Townball: The Rules of the Game. (2021) Baseball Almanac. https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ruletown.shtml Last retrieved 6/3/21.