History Of Baseball

Many of the modern games that we enjoy today come from the 19th century despite there are historical reference of games that could be associated to them coming from ancient civilizations. However the history ob baseball can be situated in the mid-1800s when people who lived in the rural towns of the United States practiced a game named "rounders" that would be the direct antecedent of Baseball.

Rounders was also known as town ball, "one o 'cat", and base ball, similar to the actual game but with different regulations. It was until 1982, when then first baseball club was founded in New York, organized by Alexander Cartwright with the name of Knickerbockers Base Ball Club. The members of this club were called Knickerbockers and they drafted the 20 rules of the baseball game that were published in 1845, rules that are the foundation of the modern baseball game.

The first official baseball game between the Knickerbockers and another team was held on June 19, 1846 at the New York Club, today Hoboken, New Jersey. However, the first professional baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings who begin to play in 1869. During the 19th century, baseball was mostly popular only in New York and its surrounding so it was commonly referred as the New York Game.

The turn of the century witnessed the establishment of the American Baseball League in Chicago on 1901. Later Ty Cobb was nicknamed the sensation of Georgia, after winning his first of nine consecutive batting titles in the American League setting a record in 1907 when the Tigers defeated the Athletics that year. By 1912, the first baseball stadiums were built; one was the Tigers Stadium and the other was the Fenway Park.

In the early decades of the 20th century George "Babe" Ruth was best known as the "Sultan of the home run" so, the New York Yankees paid $125,000 to hire him in 1920. Babe Ruth's style was imitated by many hitters and the baseball become more popular than ever by this time.

In 1924, with the addition of first basema
Bill Terry, the Giants obtained a difficult victory over the Dodgers playing the World Series and soon baseball become popular in Japan until the present where every summer a large number of schools participate in the 4000 All Japan Baseball Tou
ament that takes place nearby Osaka.

The New York Yankees played in April 1936 its first competition game with one of the greatest baseball players of all times, Joe Di Maggio. The New York Yankees have won the World Series 23 times.

Baseball became "the King of the Sports" during 1940-1950 and the national Cuban sport until the present. Although many baseball players arose during the following decades, it was until the 1970s when Reggie Jackson became a baseball celebrity like Joe Di Maggio and Babe Ruth in their moment.

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