The 17th annual National Silver Ball Tournament, one of the nation’s largest vintage base ball tournaments, will be hosted by Genesee Country Village & Museum on August 9 through 11. Five men’s teams from the museum’s Silver Base Ball Park League will face seven teams from across the Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Canada. The National Silver Ball Tournament saw its debut in 2003 with twelve clubs gathering at the museum that inaugural year.
Museum guests will be treated to three days of spirited base ball matches distinguished by the finest examples of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and goodwill that can be found anywhere, plus discounts on admission will allow for multiple visits over the weekend. Beginning Friday at 5 p.m., the teams will play 24 matches over the three days, using 1868 rules. The museum will be teeming with games being played at several locations, from Silver Base Ball Park (behind the Eastman Boyhood Home) to the Great Meadow and South Field. The two clubs with the best overall record will face off in the championship match, held on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Silver Base Ball Park. The museum’s own two ladies teams will also play an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon on the Great Meadow during the tournament.
This year, the visiting clubs include: the Brandywine Ball Club (West Chester, Pennsylvania), Cleveland Blues (Cleveland, Ohio), Diamond State BBC (Wilmington, Delaware), Great Black Swamp Frogs (Sylvania, Ohio), Northville Eclipse (Northville, Michigan), Talbot Fair Play (Talbot County, Maryland), and Woodstock Actives (Woodstock, Ontario, Canada).
Vintage base ball tries to recreate the sport as it was played in the mid-to-late 19th century, and differs from modern baseball in several key ways, beginning with the 19-century spelling using two words: base ball. The most notable difference is the absence of base ball gloves, thus requiring players to use only their bare hands to catch and field. A sharp line drive can result in a broken finger or two, but while vintage base ball is perhaps a little more dangerous than the modern version of the sport, it’s that authenticity that makes the pastime thrilling for both players and fans.
In addition to the lack of fielding and catcher’s gloves, the hurler (pitcher) must keep within a designated area and deliver the ball underhand to the striker (batter). Pitches are not automatically called balls or strikes but are called at the discretion of the umpire in accordance with the performance of the hurler or striker. Three balls are a walk and all players on base advance one base. Also, in 1868, once a ball is fairly struck, it is always fair. True to the pre-plastic era, the plate is a round metal disk, as it was in 1868.
The Silver Ball Tournament has become one of the biggest vintage base ball gatherings in the country, partially because Genesee Country Village boasts Silver Base Ball Park, the nation’s only authentic replica of a 19th-century stadium.
Admission for all guests is half-price on Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11. Additionally, all Little League players who attend the matches in uniform on championship Sunday will be admitted free. GCV&M members also receive free admission.
For more information regarding the museum’s vintage base ball program and the National Silver Ball Tournament, visit gcv.org. This event is sponsored by LandPro Equipment.
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