San Francisco Base Ball Club v Red Rover Base Ball Club of San Francisco on 22 February 1860
| Date of Game | Wednesday, February 22, 1860 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco, CA, United States |
| Modern Address | |
| Field | Center Bridge |
| Home Team | San Francisco Base Ball Club |
| Away Team | Red Rover Base Ball Club of San Francisco |
| Score | 33 - 33 |
| Game Number | |
| Innings | |
| Number of Players | |
| Game Officials | |
| NY Rules | Yes |
| Tags | |
| Description | "According to John E. Spalding in his book Always on Sunday, among the early [San Francisco] residents was a group of cricket players who organized the first base ball team -- late in 1859. Called the San Franciscos, the members issued a challenge in January 1860, to 'any nine base ball players, to a match game' on February 22 at the Center Bridge. A group called the Red Rovers accepted." "Using a ball made of woolen yarn from a sock and rubber from a pair of overshoes, teams battled to a 33-33 tie over nine innings in the Washington's birthday holiday contest." This game pitted "[John M.] Fisher's San Francisco Base Ball Club and a rival club, the red Rovers. The game occurred at a long-gone spot in San Francisco called Centres' Bridge. Centre's Bridge, probably in what is now the South of Market area, was California's version of Elysian Fields. "In the game at Centre's Bridge, a nasty squabble broke out after the Red Rovers charged the opposing pitcher with cheating. . . . The Red Rovers walked off the field in protest, although the game was tie, 33 - 33. . . Note -- Angus MacFarlane reports that the Red Rovers refused to play extra innings because they thought the SFBBC pitcher was pitching illegally.
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| Sources | John E. Spalding, Always on Sunday: The California Baseball League, 1886-1915 (Ag Press, Manhattan KS, 1992). Kevin Nelson, The Golden Game: The Story of California Baseball (California Historical Society Press, San Francisco, 2004), page 10. William F. McNeil, The California Winter League (McFarland, 2002), page 9. California Spirit of the Times, February 22, 1860. NY Mercury, March 18, 1860; Dec. 30, 1860. The NY Mercury, March 18, 1860, notes this game. The Mercury, Dec. 30, 1860, labels this Feb. 22 game the first game ever played in CA. [BA]
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| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Has Source On Hand | No |
| Comment | The game is reported to have been played only hours earlier than a Union-Sacramento BBC game in Sacramento, played the same day. (Nelson, page 10). Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Is it clear from contemporary accounts that New York rules governed this game? Edit with form to add a query |
| Found by | Angus Macfarlane |
| Submission Note | |
| Entered by | Bruce Allardice |
| First in Location | |
| Players Locality | Local |
| Entry Origin | Sabrpedia |
| Entry Origin Url | |
| Local-Origins Study Groups |
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