LEWES, Del. - Baseball will look a little different at Hudson Fields this weekend.
There will be no fielding gloves, no running through first base and no modern uniforms. Instead, teams from across the region and country will compete for a national championship while playing the game as it was played in 1864.
The Lewes Base Ball Club is hosting the 2026 National Association of Historic Base Ball Clubs National Championship on Saturday and Sunday, bringing historic base ball clubs to coastal Delaware for a weekend of competition and a trip back in time.
Mike “Oyster” DiPaolo, president and captain of the Lewes club, said the team has wanted to host an event of this size for some time.
“We’ve been wanting to do an event like this for a while,” DiPaolo said. “We were really excited because we think this is a beautiful place to play baseball, and it’s a great place to visit.”
DiPaolo said teams are making the trip from states including Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. For some, he said, it will be their first visit to coastal Delaware.
Once they take the field, the game will be recognizable, but several rules will stand out to modern baseball fans.
Players do not use fielding gloves. A ball caught on one bounce can still record an out, runners cannot overrun first base and there is no traditional home run fence. Foul balls can also affect base runners differently than they do in today’s game.
“Well, it’s going to look like baseball. It’s going to feel like baseball. It’s going to sound like baseball, but you’re going to see some differences,” DiPaolo said.
Pitching is also done underhand, although DiPaolo said pitchers can still put plenty of speed and movement on the ball.
The uniforms and language are designed to add to the experience. Players use period-style clothing, umpires are known as arbiters and many players take on colorful nicknames.
John “Cheese” Chisholm has played historic base ball for about a decade and now competes with two clubs. He said the history surrounding the game is what keeps him coming back.
“When you’re out there on the field and you see people showing up wearing period costumes and outfits, and the umpires dressed in a top hat and coat and so forth, it’s just the history of it,” Chisholm said. “I’m doing something that people were doing back in 1864.”
Alex “Haybale” Langley joined the Lewes club in 2023 after years of playing slow-pitch softball. He said playing without a glove was one of the biggest adjustments.
“You begin to adapt,” Langley said. “It’s enough difference to be sort of fun and quirky without being too challenging.”
Despite the vintage appearance, players said the competition will be serious once the national championship begins.
DiPaolo said teams still play hard and want to win, even if the atmosphere remains friendly.
“It’s competitive. People want to win,” DiPaolo said. “No one’s holding back, but no one’s going in spikes up either.”
For the Lewes players, hosting the championship is also an opportunity to showcase both the sport and the area to visitors who may have never seen historic base ball before.
And while plenty has changed in the game over the past 162 years, DiPaolo said at least one baseball rule still stands.
“There’s no crying in baseball.”
