cat-ball

Updated: June 3, 2025

The tradition among the earliest players of the game now living, is that the root from which came our present base-ball was the old-time American game of "cat-ball." This was the original American ball game, and the time when it was not played here is beyond the memory of living man.

John Montgomery Ward - Base-Ball : How to Become a Player, With the Origin, History and Explanation of the Game