Posted By:
Dave ReyNineteenth century baseball was very analogous to what men's fast pitch softball is like today.
Anybody that has played men's fast pitch knows that the team's best player (not counting the pitcher -- who is BY FAR the most important fast pitch player) generally plays third base.
The third baseman in fast pitch generally plays about halfway up the baseline to pounce on the inevitible plethora of bunt attempts that define men's fast pitch offense, where the pitcher zips 80 mph pitches in from 45 feet and your best bet is to try to bunt or close your eyes and swing as hard as you can...
Baseball in the late 1800s was pretty much the same. Very few great offensive plays, so the best plays on defense usually define who wins and who loses. A great pitcher and a cat-like third baseman can be a potent men's fast pitch combination -- as they were in nineteenth century baseball.