A vintage sports league’s rallying cry: Take me out to the really old ballgame

They pitch lofty underhands instead of fastballs, wear no gloves, and follow the score scrawled on a big green chalkboard. Welcome to the competitive league of vintage base ball – note, two words – played according to rules used in Massachusetts in the 1864 version of the game.For many years now, members of the Essex Base Ball Organization have gathered at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury to compete in period-accurate uniforms. The daughters of player Jason Andree enjoy being scorekeepers.“It’s pretty cool watching ... a game from the past come to life,” says 12-year-old Tess Andree, who sits in a lawn chair shaded by the large scoreboard behind her. She talks between sips of flavored seltzer water as her 8-year-old sister, Piper, skips by. Why We Wrote This Games played within the Essex Base Ball Organization operate on the honor system. Players call their own outs and referee the games. They maintain a friendly energy, though some calls are lightly debated. And ultimately, the day isn’t about winning or losing. Each team in the organization is based on an actual base ball team that played in the Bay State in the 19th century. The league consists of the Lynn Live Oaks, the Newburyport Clamdiggers, the Lowell Base Ball Nine, the Essex Base Ball Club, and the Portsmouth Rockinghams. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff BALLPARK FIGURES: Sisters Piper (left) and Tess Andree keep the scoreboard up to date in chalk. On this day, Lowell faces Portsmouth in a doubleheader. There are no bleachers, so spectators set up lawn chairs encircling the field. A vintage base ball game can be played in roughly 90 minutes, compared with the average Major League Baseball one, which lasts about two hours and 45 minutes.One player, Tom Soare, described the vintage sport as a cross between a softball game and a Civil War reenactment. He and some of his teammates have grown out what he calls “Civil War-era accurate” beards.Sporting the most memorable beard of all was Jeff “Graybeard” Peart, the team’s longtime official umpire. After his death in 2024, some players began wearing black pins with his silhouette on them to pay homage. They say he called a fair game, and remember him fondly for the vintage black suit and top hat he wore on the field, and of course, for his signature long beard.Now, the game operates on the honor system. Players call their own outs and referee the game. They maintain a friendly energy, though some calls are lightly debated. Ultimately, the day isn’t about winning or losing. “If you see a guy on a different team make a good play, you’re going to clap,” says Robert Nichols, who has attended nearly every game since 2013. “That makes it more enjoyable because you don’t have any skin in the game,” he adds, stroking his Chihuahua Ellie in the lawn chair they share.The league’s fans like the fun, relaxing atmosphere, says Brian Sheehy, a former history teacher who serves as president of the Essex Base Ball Organization. And it doesn’t hurt that the price of admission tops off at just $5 per person.“You have your baseball enthusiasts; you have your history enthusiasts who come,” says Mr. Sheehy. “It does feel like a community around the ballfield.” Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff BALL TOGETHER NOW: The Portsmouth Rockinghams huddle before the game. Players’ uniforms are period-accurate but made from lighter fabric rather than wool. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff PITCH-PERFECT: John “Face Plant” Lynch throws the ball underhand, which the rules allow. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff PINCH HITTER: Brett Zanni, a player from the Lynn Live Oaks team who is filling in on the Lowell team, winds up for a hit. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff DIAMOND DOG: Robert Nichols, who says he has attended nearly every game since 2013, and his Chihuahua Ellie are often the first to arrive and the last to leave. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff SWING SET: Bats for vintage base ball are wooden, and longer and thinner than baseball bats. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff THE HOME TEAM: Leo Batista of the Lowell Base Ball Nine sits with his wife, Naomi, and daughters Neveyah (left) and Haylee during a break between games. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff THAT’S HOW THE BALL BOUNCES: A vintage base ball sits next to a modern baseball, which is smaller. In the vintage version of the game, a ball caught after the first bounce is still an out.