Baseball Teams Play by 1864 Rules With No Gloves and Underhand Pitching
Baseball teams across the country are playing games using 1864 rules from the Civil War era. Players wear wool uniforms, pitch underhand, field without gloves, and can catch fly balls on one bounce for outs.
The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia spends their summers playing baseball exactly like it was in the 1800s. No gloves. No steroids. No modern optimization techniques.
The rules are drastically different from today's game. Pitchers must throw underhand. Fielders play barehanded. A batter is out if a fielder catches a fly ball after one bounce. Players wear heavy wool uniforms regardless of the weather.
Similar teams exist nationwide. In Tennessee, teams like the Phoenix of East Nashville and Chattanooga Lightfoot compete in vintage games. The Nashville Scouts also play the Nashville Maroons using these historical rules.
The 1864 rules represent some of the earliest professional baseball. The game was still evolving rapidly as organizers tried different approaches. Admission to these vintage games is free, just like in Civil War times when paid baseball hadn't been invented yet.
These players call themselves baseball purists who want to experience the sport without modern changes that have altered the game's character.
This movement shows how much modern baseball has changed and offers fans a chance to see the sport as it was originally played. It's also free to watch, unlike most professional games today.
More vintage baseball games are scheduled throughout the summer season across multiple states.
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