1860 Rules

Equipment: Base ballists caught the ball with bare hands until the 1880s. Early gloves were introduced by catchers and first base men in the late 1870s and by 1890, almost all players were wearing gloves. Similarly, catcher’s equipment was gradually introduced in 1870s and 1880s, particularly after pitching turned overhand and catchers had to move forward to attempt to throw out base stealers.

Stealing/sliding: Stealing was far less common than today. Runners would however take extra bases on passed balls and overthrows. Sliding, while not unheard of, was fairly uncommon until a bit later in the period. In keeping with the gentlemanly spirit of the times, many VBBA clubs do not allow sliding.
Outs: Until 1864, the batsman was out if the ball was caught on one bound. However, base runners are not forced to run on a one-bounder and the force play is off in such a situation. Manly ballists will attempt to catch balls on the fly as that requires base runners to tag up.

Force outs: The force play stays on even if the first out is made behind the runner. For instance, if a base runner is at first and a ground ball is hit to the first baseman, he can touch first base and throw to second for a force out to complete the double play. In the modern game, it would be a tag play at second in this situation.

Fair balls: Balls are considered fair if they first hit the ground in fair territory. Skilled strikers will sometimes intentionally hit the ball so that it hits in fair territory in front of home point and spins into foul territory. Whereas today this would be a foul ball, it is fair in the vintage game.

Balls and bats: The ball of the 1860s was a bit larger, heavier, and softer than a modern hardball. It is made with a rubber core surrounded with woolen yarn and a one-piece (as opposed to two-piece like today) leather cover. Vintage ballists are cautioned against casual play as broken fingers are a constant threat. Bats were made of many types of wood, but like today, ash was the most popular. Most VBBA clubs use hand-turned bats for authenticity.



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