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Baseball seems to have been ingrained early on in the local community, with late 19th-century newspapers filled with the exploits of Hollister and San Juan Bautista teams, including the Lady Killers, the Old Mission, the Wildcats, the Pets and the San Justos.
They played under evolving sets of rules—no balls and strikes in the 1860s, for example—and unique terminology—that few players today would recognize.
Very few, perhaps, other than Paul Hill, a baseball aficionado and player on some of the vintage 1860s and 1886 leagues that emulate those earliest forms of the game. Hill’s goal is to bring the 1860s version back to San Benito County, starting with an exhibition on July 12 and continuing on Aug. 9 at Veterans Memorial Park’s Babe Ruth Field.
He first became interested in vintage baseball in 2019 after moving to Redondo Beach. Having only played slow-pitch softball before, he was intrigued by a Facebook post advertising tryouts for an 1886 team, with no idea what that might entail.
“I thought I would go out and see how well I could do,” Hill said. “I was just doing it to see where my skill level was, not even trying to make the team. Surprisingly, I made it, and I played about four seasons with the team until it folded.”
According to Hill, baseball as played in 1886 is more like baseball as currently played, with overhand pitching. At 40 ounces, the bats are heavier than today’s 30- to 32-ouncers, and the gloves more resemble the leather ones used in gardening.
“You get seven balls and three strikes,” he said, “but if you hit the ball foul, that’s just a pitch and doesn’t count as a strike. If you get hit by the pitch, that’s a ball, and you stay in the batter’s box and continue. You can steal like in today’s baseball, and there are no batting helmets.”
More modern rules include not being able to wear sunglasses unless they are prescription, and any braces or “any of the armor they wear nowadays” need to be kept underneath the uniform.
Attending a tournament in Arizona playing under 1860s rules, Hill said he fell in love with that version of the game, which more closely resembles the one played during the Civil War era.
“They weren’t playing on actual fields back then,” Hill said. “It was an open, semi-flat area. You might have trees in center field, and you just come up with rules if [a tree] gets hit. Your home plate was a round disc, and you pitched off a flat area about 50 feet away, no mound.”
No gloves are used, and the ball is softer, with “lemon peel” stitching that is wound less tightly, making it softer and bouncier during play. The bats were lighter—similar to today’s—with thicker handles and distinctive knob designs.
Originally, there were no strikes or balls. Batters just kept whacking away until they connected, with the first team to score 21 runs winning. A system of warnings for batters and pitchers was later added to the rules to speed up the game. No overrunning the bases was allowed, and balls caught on the first bounce counted as outs.
Oh, and outs weren’t “outs.” They were “hands.” The fans were “cranks,” the umpire was an “arbitrator,” left-handed batters were “wrong-handed,” pitchers were “hurlers” and batters were “strikers.”
At the end of the game, each team offered a hearty “huzzah,” a traditional cheer used to thank their opponents, the arbitrator and the crowd.
According to Hill, as played today, the game has become a low-key co-ed sport, inclusive and accommodating of a range of skill levels and physical abilities. Seniors can participate easily, he said, with substitute runners allowed from the point of contact.
“We leave cutthroat competition behind,” he said, “to play the game in its simplest form. It allows people who are limited by pain, braces, or even the ability to play ball. I’ve seen people who are 78, 79, 80 years old, and they’re still out there. That’s what I really love about it.”
Hill’s target audience for his first exhibition game is considerably younger than the seniors he offered as examples. Though everyone over the age of 18 is welcome, he said, men and women in their 30s and 40s are more likely to participate.
“My goal is to get 20 players who like to play softball or baseball,” he said. “We’ll split into two teams; I’ll explain the rules and show them how much fun it is. I’m hoping within a year or two we can get enough teams from places like Gilroy, San Juan, or Salinas to start a league.”
There will be no trophies or prizes beyond accepting a cheerful “huzzah” from the opposing team, but Hill will provide hamburgers and hot dogs to enhance the festive atmosphere.
“I’m very optimistic,” he said. “I believe once people see the game and play it, they’re going to fall in love with it, just like I have. It’s a lot of fun. It brings you back to your childhood and makes you feel young again.”
1860 Vintage Baseball Games will be played at Babe Ruth Field at the Veterans Memorial Park, 1023 Memorial Drive, Hollister, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 12 and Aug. 9. For more information, contact Paul Hill at HollisterVintageBaseball@gmail.com or by using the online signup form.
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