Over 120 people flocked to Malta’s Lions Park this Sunday to watch the Oregon Ganymedes square off against their cross-county rivals, the Creston Regulators, for Malta’s 3rd Annual Vintage Baseball Exhibition.
Sunday’s game was played with rules from the 1860s that contrast with the modern conventions of America’s pastime.
Some notable distinctions include catching the ball without a mitt, outs from balls caught after bouncing once, and a bell that gets rung after every run scored.
Pitches are also thrown underhanded with a larger, softer “lemon peel” baseball with distinctive X-pattern stitching.
Dressed in historically curated uniforms, the Ganymedes defeated the Regulators at yesterday’s tournament, which included renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by a quartet of Malta singers.
Players’ uniforms do not include numbers. Instead, each player has a distinctive nickname like “Fireball,” “Shifty,” “Wolfman,” and “Stringbean.”
Captain of the Oregon Ganymedes Mark Herman served as the game’s umpire and dressed in formal, era-appropriate attire.
Herman also narrated Sunday’s game, highlighting various rule variations and educating spectators on the sport’s historical evolution.
Concessions, including peanuts, Cracker Jacks and hot dogs were supplied by the Malta Lions Club.
The Oregon Ganymedes’ next game will be on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the World Tournament of Historic Baseball in Dearborn, Michigan. They’re slated to take on the Flat Rock Michigan Bear Clan at 11:00 a.m., followed by the Greenfield Village Michigan Nationals at 2:00 p.m.
The Creston Regulators will play the DuPage County Plowboys at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois at noon on Sunday, Aug. 16.
