Did Candy Cummings invent the curveball? Explore the evidence, myths, and what baseball history really shows about one of the game’s biggest legends.
Early History of Baseball / Early Players and Innovators
Posted on:
Albert Spalding: From Star Pitcher to Baseball Business Pioneer
Discover how Albert Spalding evolved from star pitcher to baseball business pioneer, helping transform America’s pastime into a national force.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
Wicket and Baseball: How an Early American Bat-and-Ball Game Compared
See how wicket and baseball differed in early America and what this forgotten bat-and-ball game reveals about the roots of U.S. sport.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
What Was Town Ball? The American Bat-and-Ball Game Before Modern Baseball
Discover what was town ball and how this early American bat-and-ball game shaped modern baseball before rules, positions, and gear were standardized.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Mills Commission: How Cooperstown Became Linked to Baseball Origins
Explore how the Mills Commission tied Cooperstown to baseball origins—and why the Doubleday myth shaped museums, tourism, and memory.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Massachusetts Game: Rules, Clubs, and Why It Lost to the New York Game
Discover the Massachusetts Game, its rules, clubs, and culture—and see why the New York Game won as baseball evolved in 19th-century America.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Massachusetts Game vs. the New York Game: Two Paths to Modern Baseball
Explore how the Massachusetts Game and New York Game shaped modern baseball, revealing what each style rewarded and why the split still matters.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Earliest Known References to Baseball in Colonial America
Explore the earliest known references to baseball in colonial America and see how language, migration, and leisure shaped the game’s origins.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Abner Doubleday Myth: How Baseball Got an Inventor It Never Had
The Abner Doubleday myth exposed: learn why baseball’s famous origin story is false—and what its staying power says about American culture.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
One Old Cat, Two Old Cat, and the Schoolyard Games Behind Early Baseball
Discover how one old cat and two old cat schoolyard games taught the instincts behind early baseball, shaping the sport before leagues existed.
Bat-and-Ball Origins / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
Base Ball Before 1800: What Historians Know About the Game in Early America
Discover what historians know about base ball before 1800, from early American records to play traditions that reveal the game’s hidden roots.
Amateur Clubs and Early Competition / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Philadelphia Pythians: Black Baseball Pioneers Before the Negro Leagues
Discover how the Philadelphia Pythians shaped Black baseball, built community, and challenged exclusion long before the Negro Leagues.
Amateur Clubs and Early Competition / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn: Baseball’s First Great Touring Team
Discover how the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Brooklyn turned baseball from a local pastime into America’s first great touring sensation.
Amateur Clubs and Early Competition / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York: From Firemen’s Club to Professional Team
Discover how the Mutual Base Ball Club of New York rose from a firemen’s team to a pro pioneer, shaping early baseball and modern sport.
Amateur Clubs and Early Competition / Early History of Baseball
Posted on:
The Eckford Base Ball Club: Brooklyn Powerhouse of the 1860s
Discover how the Eckford Base Ball Club became Brooklyn’s 1860s powerhouse and helped shape early baseball into a competitive national game.