Town ball

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The game of town ball, sometimes called townball, is a descendant of rounders, and often thought to be a stepping stone from rounders to modern baseball. It was generally played in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The rules of town ball varied, but generally the field was a square shape, with four bases. Similarly to baseball, the fourth base was known to be called home base, as it was the final goal of a runner. A runner who reached fourth base was said to have achieved a "round" or "tally". However, differently from baseball (and more like rounders), the striker would stand between first and fourth base, while the thrower stood in the middle of the field. Also, fielders could hit the runner with the ball, and if he was not on a base he would be called out.

It differed from rounders in that the concept of the "strike" was introduced. In fact, many sets of rules allowed for three strikes, which carried over into baseball. Townball tended toward use of round bats, as well.

The game was most popular in Boston, and thus came to be called the "Boston game" or the "Massachusetts game" or the "New England game" of ball (baseball). Although it had its adherents until around the middle of the 19th century, it was superseded by the "New York game" of baseball, with its Knickerbocker Rules which formed the basis of the modern game of baseball.