History of Baseball, Pre-1876

In the 1820s, what we call baseball today was first known as Rounders, Town Ball, Round Ball, and Base Ball before the two words were combined as one. Researchers and historians have noted that, in some form, the sport was even played in the late 1700s.

Rounders: was first played by English schoolchildren and included a batter (the striker), a pitcher, 4 bases, and an infield in the shape of diamond. When known as Town Ball or Round Ball, the rules varied, as did the number of players each team could field. Teams playing Town Ball, for instance, could put 20-50 in the field.

This game (at least a form of it) began in the northeast US, where non-athletes such as dairy workers, clerks, lawyers, and plumbers played their games on wheat fields and in town squares. 

From 1839-1869, baseball abided by a code of ethics, meaning that the game was to be played by amateurs, not paid athletes. Then came the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox (the color red signified the color of the socks they wore) - two teams whose players were openly paid for their efforts.

Check out the rules, the terms (what's revolving, hippodroming, or chicagoed mean?), and the many reasons why MLB's oldest league, the National League, was formed.