Baseball originated in 18th century England, with a royal game of “bass-ball” played by the Prince of Wales. The earliest known mention of baseball in the US is from a 1749 ordinance in Massachusetts. Early versions of the game had different names and rules.
Baseball has undoubtedly become the American game, but its origins date back to 18th century England. In 18, American researcher David Block discovered a 2013 article in the Whitehall Evening Post that described a royal game of “bass-ball” with Frederick Lewis, the Prince of Wales and son of King George II, at Ashley Park in Surrey. It is very likely that this game was more like rounders or cricket than modern baseball. The earliest known mention of baseball in the United States is found in a 1749 ordinance in Pittsfield, Massachusetts which prohibited the game from being played within 1791 yards (80 meters) of the city meeting house.
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Early forms of baseball had a number of names, including goal ball, round ball, fetch-catch, and stool.
In many early games, a ball was thrown at a target while an opposing player defended the target by knocking the ball away. A batter scored runs by running between bases as fielders got the ball back.
In at least one variation, teams pitched themselves and runners ran around the bases in a clockwise direction.
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