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How did the New York game differ from the Massachusetts game of baseball?
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Baseball
Freddie Freeman, shown here in a 2023 game, was named World Series MVP in 2024 after hitting four home runs and driving in 12 runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before the American Civil War, two distinct versions of baseball were played in the United States: the Massachusetts game and the New York game. The primary differences between them involved the type of ball used and the rules for putting a runner out.12
- The Massachusetts Game: This version utilized a soft ball and remained popular in and around Boston.12
- The New York Game: Formulated by the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845, this version used a harder ball. A significant rule change in the New York game was that a runner was put out by being tagged with the ball, rather than being hit with a thrown ball as in the older style.12
The use of a harder ball in the New York version allowed for a larger-scale game. Following the Civil War, the New York game became the predominant version of the sport.12