Best Answer #15: from Ashley Crawford:
"The first recorded baseball game in North America was in Beachville, Ontario, in a pasture field just beyond Enoch Burdick’s (blacksmith) Shop which today is near the Beachville Baptist Church. The game was on June 4th, 1838, and the two teams that played were the Zorras and the Beachville club. An important piece of equipment that they used was a ball made of double twisted woolen yarn covered with good, honest calfskin which was sewn by Edward McNames, the local shoemaker. They also used a club which we now call a baseball bat. The club was generally made of the best cedar (finished) on a shaving horse with a drawing knife. … even a wagon spoke or any nice straight stick would do. Some terms that were used in the game in 1838 are bye which means base, tally which means run, club which means a bat, thrower which is a pitcher, knocker which is a batter, and the knockers stone which is a home base."
Sources:
- Doug M. Symons, “The Village That Straddled A Swamp” p. 48 (Oxford Historical Society)
- Anon, “Beachville’s Baseball Beginnings” (brochure at Beachville District Museum)
- Dr. Adam E. Ford, “Very Like Base Ball” (May 4, 1886 letter to Sporting Life, Philadelphia: copies at Beachville District Museum)