Knickerbocker Rules

By Patrick Mondout

The first known published set of rules for the game of baseball were produced by the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845. These also happen to be the the rules that have be added to and modified over the years into the present-day game of baseball. 

See also: The rules of 1854, The rules of 1857, 'Early Baseball' Terminology.

The Knickerbockers' Rules were not the only ones being used in the early 1850s. Many clubs in New England states preferred the Massachusetts game while those in Philadelphia preferred the similar "town ball." But like the battle between VHS and Betamax for videotape supremacy, one eventually won out and it is the "New York" game as created by the Knickerbockers that has been improved upon over the years as the game of baseball we play today.

If you see other versions that number less than 20 rules, you are reading edited (or at least revised) versions; below are truly the original 20 Knickerbocker rules. These rules were revised as far back as a few years after they were first written and later edits generally separate the rules of baseball from the club-related rules (such as the first three and fifth). The "17 rule" version often cited is actually the 1854 rules as adopted by the Knicks and the other two clubs of New York.¹

Regarding the 4th rule, a pace is about 30 inches, making the bases about 75 feet apart. Some have tried to argue that it refers to an exact measurement, but it is hard to believe that Knicks went from no published rules to rules that required a ruler to measure out the distances. More likely, the distances was simply walked out at forty-two paces without too much regard to the actual distance. In either case, the exact distance became more important - and more precisely prescribed - as the years went by.

Perhaps the most gentlemanly of all the rules was the lucky 13th (as someone born on a Friday the 13th, how can I view it otherwise?). Prior to the Knickerbocker Rules, a runner was out when he was hit with the baseball. This doubtless appealed to a certain kind of male, but a number of the Knicks were doctors and the violence of the existing game was presumably abhorrent to them. Then again, maybe they were just wussies.

Another point about the 13th rule that is rarely brought up: It implies that if a batter lines what we now think of as a single to the outfield and rounds first base, all the fielder has to do is throw to the 2nd baseman to retire the batter. This was true of any base (if you hit a triple and rounded third, you were obligated to go). This rule was revised prior in April of 1848.

A reading of these rules reveals that they were clearly for Knickerbocker internal use. Not only are their rules specific to being a member of the club, but the 3rd rule implies that it is up to the captains to make sure the sides are "as nearly equal as possible."

The 13th rule makes it clear that "in no instance is a ball to be thrown at him." Unless it were a refinement of a game where hitting the runner with the ball was advantageous, there would be no reason to mention it.

It also should seem clear that such rules must be a refinement of another well-known game as the rules alone are not enough to describe how the game is played. Where and how far away from the striker (batter) does the pitcher stand? What are these bases and which direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) should I run to them? The rules leave as much unanswered as answered, but those playing the earlier game would have understood.

These rules, by the way, were part of a larger document of By-Laws and Rules adopted that same day. In fact the rules above fall under Article 19. Here are a few other articles of note:²

Article III. The regular days for field practice shall be Tuesdays and Fridays of each week during the season (weather permitting) at such hours as may be agreed upon from time to time.

Article IV. Members, when assembled for field exercise, who shall use profane or improper language shall be fined 6 1/2 cents for each offense, to be paid before leaving the field.

Article V. Any member disputing the decision of the umpire during the time of exercise shall be fined 12 1/2 cents, to be paid before leaving the field.

Article VI. Any member who shall audibly express his opinion on a doubtful play before the decision of the umpire is given (unless called upon by him to do so), for each offense shall pay a fine of 12 1/2 cents before leaving the field.

Article XIX. The club shall be governed by the following rules. (This is where the 20 rules above we placed.)

NOTES:
1. The "printed in Cooperstown" reprints of these rules that are sometimes seen on the 'Net are from the 20th Century, though they were printed on much older equipment using a contemporary typeface. I have yet to see an original nor am I sure one now exists.
2. Evolution of Base-Ball: John M. Ward on the Original and Growth of the Game, page 26 of the September 30, 1888 Chicago Daily.

National Association of Base Ball Players sources/bibliography:
Baseball: The Early Years by Harold Seymour.
Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search For The Roots Of The Game by David Block.
Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime during the Civil War by George B. Kirsch.
Baseball (1845-1881): From the newspaper accounts by Preston D. Prem
But Didn't We Have Fun?: An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870 by Peter Morris
Early Innings: A Documentary History by Dean A. Sullivan
The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 by Marshall D. Wright.
Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball by Warren Goldstein.
When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865-1870 by William J. Ryczek

General Baseball History sources/bibliography:
Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin G. Rader.
Baseball: A Film By Ken Burns (PBS DVD)
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
The Great 19th Century Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, 2nd Edition by David Nemec.
Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Middle Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1900-1948 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball 1945-1972 by Dean A. Sullivan
Past Time: Baseball as History by Jules Tygiel
America's National Game: Historic Facts Concerning the Beginning, Evolution, Development and Popularity of Baseball by Albert Spalding
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.