Baseball (card game)
Encyclopedia
Baseball is a card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...

 simulating the sport of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, played with special cards and a diagram of a baseball diamond.

The deck

The deck consists of 36 cards representing a variety of base hits, (mostly singles, but only one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

), balk
Balk
In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded...

s, stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s, a hit-by-pitcher, balls, strikes, and a variety of outs.
A typical deck from the late 1950s or early 1960s consists of:
  • 10 balls
  • 10 strikes
  • 2 foul balls
  • 2 fly outs
  • 1 foul out
  • 2 singles
  • 2 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 1 home run
  • 1 balk
  • 1 stolen base
  • 1 hit-by-pitcher

Earlier decks omitted the balk, stolen base, and hit-by-pitcher, in favor of an additional ball, an additional double play, and an additional single.

In some editions from the 1960s, strikes and outs are color-coded orange, balls green, and all cards that advance a runner, blue, while in late-1950s editions, strikes and outs are green, balls blue, and cards advancing a runner, red. The cards are illustrated with line drawings of the action represented by the card; in the 1960s, a New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 edition included Mr. Met
Mr. Met
Mr. Met is the official mascot of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. He is a man with a large baseball for a head. He can be seen at Citi Field during Mets home games, has appeared in several commercials as part of ESPN's This is SportsCenter campaign, and has been elected into the Mascot...

 as the principle figure in the illustrations, and a Mets logo as the back design.

The play

The game is playable by any arbitrary number of players (the box stating that it "can be played by 1 to 9 players"). The cards are not dealt; instead, whichever player is "at bat" turns over cards from a freshly shuffled deck until put out three times, following the actions named on the cards:
  • Strikes are collected, with three strikes becoming an out (and clearing any collected balls).
  • Balls are collected, with four balls becoming a walk (and clearing any collected strikes).
  • Outs are collected (with each out clearing strikes and balls) until the third out ends the player's turn. If the out is marked "double play at first," and a double play at first is possible, then it counts as a double play.
  • Base hits, walks, and hit-by-pitcher are placed on the diamond diagram, with any cards already on the diagram advancing appropriately. A base hit clears the balls and strikes.
  • Balks and stolen bases advance runners according to the instructions on the card, and actual baseball rules.


An inning consists of each player getting a turn "at bat" for three outs; a game consists of nine innings. Scoring is as in an actual baseball game.

Availability

This game appears to be out of print at present, but decks of varying vintage can be found online. Or one could improvise a deck from the same "VisEd" cards traditionally used in the game of 1000 Blank White Cards
1000 Blank White Cards
1000 Blank White Cards is a party game played with cards in which the deck is created as part of the game. Though it has been played by adults in organized groups in several cities and college campuses, 1000 Blank White Cards is described as well-suited for children in Hoyle's Rules of Games...

.
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