Baseball Memorial Day (Besuboru Kinenbi)

What Is Baseball Memorial Day?

June 19 is "Baseball Memorial Day" (Bēsubōru Kinenbi) in Japan. On June 19, 1846, one of the earliest recorded baseball games was played at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. The game is regarded as the first played under rules that form the basis of modern baseball, and the day is also called "Baseball Day."

The Birth of Modern Baseball

Baseball is said to have grown out of bat-and-ball games such as rounders from England and "town ball" played in the United States.

• The Knickerbocker rules: In 1845, the New York Knickerbockers, a club of enthusiasts, wrote down a set of rules. Alexander Cartwright is traditionally credited with organizing them. The rules banned putting runners out by hitting them with the ball and introduced the idea of foul territory, among other features that lead to today's game. Some researchers, however, point out that other club members were also involved in drafting the rules.
• The game of June 19, 1846: The Knickerbockers played a team called the "New York Nine" and reportedly lost 23 to 1.
• Nine innings came later: At first, the winner was the first team to score 21 runs. Nine-inning games and nine-player teams were standardized in the late 1850s.

How Baseball Reached Japan

Baseball arrived in Japan early in the Meiji era. Around 1872, the American teacher Horace Wilson is said to have taught the game to students at the First Middle School of the First University District, a forerunner of the University of Tokyo. The Japanese word "yakyū" is said to have been coined later by Kanae Chūman of the First Higher Middle School.

Interesting Facts About Baseball

• 18.44 meters: The distance from the pitcher's plate to home plate is 60 feet 6 inches (about 18.44 m). It was set in 1893 and has not changed since.
• The stitches on a baseball: A hardball has 108 double stitches. The ball's spin and its seams affect the airflow around it, which influences how breaking pitches move.
• Sabermetrics: This statistical approach evaluates players with measures such as on-base percentage and slugging percentage rather than just batting average or wins, and many teams now use it.
• Cartwright in the Hall of Fame: Cartwright was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938 as one of the "fathers of modern baseball."

Ideas for Baseball Memorial Day

• While watching a game, pay attention to stats beyond batting average, such as on-base percentage.
• Play catch for the first time in a while and get moving.
• Look up how baseball's rules have changed, and imagine a game played to 21 runs.
• Chat with baseball-loving coworkers about favorite players and games.

The Long History That Began With One Game in 1846

June 19 is the day a game was played under rules that lead to modern baseball. It seems fitting for the sport that the club that wrote those rules began its history with a lopsided loss. Let today's baseball news be a chance to think back on the game's long journey.