A member of the New York Mutuals , also known as the "Green Stockings," slides into base. Nineteenth-century "base ball" uniforms are distinct from modern day, featuring knickers; long, colorful stockings; and caps with short brims, rather than helmets. Fielders did not wear gloves. Credit: Brian Sullivan, New York Mutuals.


A member of the modern-day New York Mutuals, in authentic 19th-century cap and jersey, and without a glove, makes the pitch.
Credit: Dean Thilgen, New York Mutuals


The modern-day New York Mutuals on an antique fire cart. Note the distinctive 19th-century uniforms and bat. Bats were always wood and often heavier and thicker in the handle. They tapered gradually from the handle to the barrel and were sometimes made without the knob on the handle Painted rings reflected the team's color. Credit: Frank Iraggi, New York Mutuals.


The modern day logo of the New York Mutuals.


This famous Currier & Ives print, "The American National Game of Base Ball," immortalizes the New York Mutuals, depicting an 1865 game between them and the Brooklyn Atlantics with 20,000 spectators.