A casual reference to “base-ball” appeared in a brief article in a sporting journal about a horse named “Poodle.” In describing the horse's qualities and justifying the high price paid for it, the writer stated that “this horse's own brother Pelion, is one of the finest animals in the kingdom; he has enormous limbs, a back broad enough to play at base-ball upon, and was a capital runner.”
Sources
The Review, the Country Gentleman's Journal, London, Jan. 22, 1859, p. 475
Block Notes
Given the early date, it is almost certain that the game referred to was English baseball.
