tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41190141464254619.post4593911428754982959..comments2024-02-18T13:21:34.833-05:00Comments on A Manly Pastime - A Baseball History Blog : The Great Match at Newark for the Championship - Part 2 John Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06339803248832518914noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41190141464254619.post-37359472451839206952012-09-14T18:09:13.923-04:002012-09-14T18:09:13.923-04:00It isn't impossible that they had an enclosed ...It isn't impossible that they had an enclosed ground, but if so they were ahead of the curve. It might also be that the grounds adjoined a property with a fence. If so, this would be a fence at center field, but it would not be a "center field fence" as we generally understand the term.<br /><br />If you find any mention of their charging admission, then this would push things over to the "enclosed ground" side of the argument, charging admission being the whole point of building the fence.Richard Hershbergernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41190141464254619.post-66894959534760520862012-09-14T08:22:26.356-04:002012-09-14T08:22:26.356-04:00The source is the New York Clipper account which s...The source is the New York Clipper account which says "a grounder to centre field, the ball going down to the fence." The Eureka had new grounds for the 1865 season, I'm not sure how much description of it survives, but I'll take a look when I get a chance.John Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339803248832518914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41190141464254619.post-37519702085678242902012-09-14T07:34:49.094-04:002012-09-14T07:34:49.094-04:00"Start belting another two run home run, this..."Start belting another two run home run, this time a shot which rolled all the way to the center field fence."<br /><br />This is unlikely. Specifically, it is unlikely that there was a center field fence, as this would imply an enclosed ground, which is unlikely for Newark in 1865. Generally in this era, a home run was a hit which got past the outfielders, giving the batsman time to circle the bases before the ball was thrown to the catcher. The Brooklyn Eagle account says that Start "sent a souvenir to centre field". This suggests that the crowd went all the way around the field and the ball hit into it, and perhaps never retrieved.Richard Hershbergernoreply@blogger.com