Beginning of Essay
, cricket played a role in the evolution of organized . From this British game came umpires and innings, and early writers like Henry Chadwick used cricket terminology such as "batsman," "playing for the side," and "excellent field" in describing early games. Li ....

Middle of Essay
.... version of which was devised by the members of the New York Knickerbocker Club. Organized in 1845 by a band of aspiring gentlemen and enthusiasts, the Knickerbocker version was devised by one of their members, Alexander J. Cartwright. Cartwright prescribed a diamond-shaped infield with bases at ninety feet apart, a standard which has stood the test of time. The pitching distance was set at forty-five feet from the home base, and a pitcher was required to "pitch" a ball in a stiff-armed, underhanded fashion. The three-strikes-are-out rule was adopted, and a batter could also be put out by a fielder catching a batted ball in the air, or on the first bo ....