Who Invented Baseball? My Belief...

We have all heard the story that Abner Doubleday is the person who invented baseball. I have heard different rumors and thoughts on this... Below is my belief:

Baseball actually evolved over time. It began with the English playing a game called Rounders. Rounders become popular in the United States in the early 19th century, where the game was called townball, base, or baseball. This "Rounders" game kept evolving until Alexander Cartwright developed the fundamental rules for the game of baseball that we know today. So, in my humble opinion, Alexander Cartwright invented the game of baseball.

Cartwright was a member of the New York Knickerbockers, a club of young businessmen who regularly played Town Ball to escape their work lives and to get some exercise after work. In 1845, Cartwright and some members of his club drew up clear rules designed to convert Town Ball into a more elaborate sport. He called it Base Ball.

Cartwright did document his rules for Base Ball, and many of them are still fundamental parts of the game, including the concepts of:

1. Fair and foul territory
2. Three strikes per out
3. Three outs per inning
4. Nine players per side
5. Ninety feet between bases

In 1953, Congress officially credited Cartwright as the inventor of modern baseball. Some baseball historians now challenge this, but to date, there is no proof of an earlier baseball game or an earlier explanation of the formal rules for the great game of baseball. As of now, it should be accepted that Alexander Cartwright invented baseball.

I recommend reading these books about Alexander Cartwright:

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