5 Bat-and-Ball Games That Existed Before Baseball

The origins of baseball have sparked countless debates, from legendary player comparisons to snack preferences. However, one enduring question remains: who truly invented baseball? Was it the French, the British who introduced cricket, or perhaps the inventive street kids of the Bronx playing stickball?

While that debate is fascinating, let's set it aside for now. Instead, let's explore several games that, while not the direct ancestors of baseball, share striking similarities and may have even shaped its rules.

These games all feature a ball and a bat, but their connections to baseball go beyond equipment. From games enjoyed by Shakespeare and the ancient Egyptians to those played by the Vikings, these historic pastimes have left their mark. Some are even still played today by enthusiasts.

5: Take Me Out to the Stoolball Game

Stoolball, despite its peculiar name, is recognized as an early form of both baseball and cricket. Dating back to at least the 14th century, it was notably inclusive, with men and women participating equally. Shakespeare even referenced it in "The Two Noble Kinsmen" as a playful metaphor.

The game is straightforward yet engaging. A Home stool (or chair) is placed about thirty feet from a Base stool. The batter stands six feet in front of the Home stool, while the pitcher, positioned near the Base, throws underhand to hit the Home stool. The batter's goal is to strike the ball away and run to the Base and back.

If the batter successfully hits the ball, they run to the Base, circle it, and return to Home. The pitcher, meanwhile, tries to field the ball and hit the stool. A run is scored if the batter reaches Home before the pitcher hits the stool. The player with the most runs wins. This game bears a striking resemblance to a modern pastime we'll explore next.

4: Cricket

The exact origins of cricket remain unclear, but it likely emerged during the Dark Ages, predating the Norman conquest of England in the mid-11th century.

Though cricket and baseball fans might hesitate to draw direct connections, the parallels are undeniable. Both feature a pitcher (or bowler in cricket) who delivers the ball to a batter (or striker). If the striker hits the ball, the batsmen can score runs by completing a circuit.

This is, of course, a simplified overview of a highly intricate sport. However, the shared fundamentals are evident. Given cricket's widespread popularity, it's plausible that baseball's creators drew inspiration from it. Alternatively, both games may have evolved from an older, shared folk tradition.

3: Rounders

The origins of baseball spark heated debates, with some tracing its first mention to a 1744 publication, "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book." This book also introduces rounders, a game strikingly similar to modern baseball.

While it's unclear which game came first, rounders appears to be a more straightforward version of baseball. A pitcher delivers the ball within a specific zone, and the batter, armed with a stick-like bat, must run a pentagonal course regardless of whether they hit the ball. Outs occur if a fielder catches a pop-up, the ball hits a post the batter is running toward, or a fielder tags the batter with the ball.

Sound familiar? Rounders also features nine players per side and awards half a rounder for three bad pitches, akin to a walk in baseball. It's likely that baseball and rounders influenced each other significantly over time.

2: Seker-hemat

Peter Piccione, a University of Charleston, S.C., professor and Egyptologist, may have uncovered the earliest bat-and-ball game predating baseball. His research suggests that seker-hemat, meaning "batting the ball," was played by ancient Egyptian kings during festivals.

While the exact rules of seker-hemat remain unclear, Piccione has pieced together insights from ancient art and texts. He believes the game aimed to strike and destroy the evil eye of Apopi, blending competition with ritual. Evidence hints at the involvement of umpires, base running, and even a star player—Thutmose III, a military leader with an impressive slugging record in 1472 BC. References to seker-hemat date back a millennium earlier in Egyptian records.

Next time you step up to bat, consider paying homage to Thutmose III and channeling the ancient goal of vanquishing the opposing team's evil eye.

1: Knattleikr

While the Vikings are famously known for their raids, they might also have contributed to the concept of the passed ball. Though unlikely, they did create a bat-and-ball game that shares similarities with baseball, all while maintaining their fierce and brutal reputation.

Details about Knattleikr primarily come from Icelandic sagas and scattered accounts. The game involved a hard ball struck with a stick, and players could use their hands as well. Two teams fiercely competed for the ball, often resulting in bloody and violent clashes. Viking parents frequently lamented their sons returning home battered and bruised.

Much like modern athletes, Knattleikr players used their reputation to intimidate opponents and engaged in verbal sparring. Games could stretch for days, and tempers sometimes flared to the point of fatal confrontations, as recorded in the sagas. Matches typically concluded when exhaustion set in—or when only one player remained standing.