Vintage baseball: Playing the nation’s pastime by 1864 rules
The Lewes Base Ball Club, sponsored by the Lewes Historical Society and Dogfish Craft Brewery, won a doubleheader Aug. 12, beating Rising Sun, Md. 8-7 in 12 innings in the opener and 13-4 in the second game.
Lewes Base Ball Club is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League and the Vintage Base Ball Association. It is an educational program designed to tell the story of baseball in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The earliest known reference to baseball in Lewes is from February 1874, when a match pitting Lewes against Milton was advertised for March 1, 1874. Lewes and Rehoboth Beach had teams in the Eastern Shore Baseball League in the early and mid-20th century.
The 2016 state champion Lewes team plays by 1864 rules. The most notable differences are the ability to catch the ball on one bounce for an out and no gloves permitted for fielders. Pitchers throw underhand, batters are called strikers, strikes are called when a striker does not attempt to swing the bat after a warning from the umpire, and foul balls can be caught on the bounce for an out.
The team’s next home doubleheader at the Villages of Five Points field is at noon and 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 9, against Diamond State Base Ball Club from Delaware City.
