Stickball facts for kids
Stickball is a fun street game that's a lot like baseball. People usually play it in big cities, especially in places like New York City and Philadelphia in the Northeastern United States. It's often a "pick-up game," meaning friends just get together and play without needing a special league or team.
To play stickball, you only need two main things: a broom handle (or something similar) and a rubber ball. Common balls used are a spaldeen, pensy pinky, high bouncer, or a tennis ball. The rules are based on baseball, but they're changed to fit where you're playing. For example, a manhole cover might be used as a base, or buildings can act as foul lines. This game has been around for a long time, even before the 1750s, and was very popular with kids and teens from the 1900s until the 1980s.
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How to Play Stickball
Stickball is played in different ways, often depending on where you are. Here are some common styles:
Fast Pitch Stickball
In fast pitch stickball, the batter stands in front of a wall or fence. Players draw a rectangle on this wall with chalk to create a "strike zone." The pitcher throws the ball towards this zone. If the batter doesn't swing, and the ball bounces back to the pitcher with chalk on it (meaning it hit the strike zone), it's a "called strike." If there's no chalk on the ball, it's a "ball." This style is common in schoolyards in places like South Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Long Island. Sometimes, a small dot is also drawn near the main strike zone, where a pitch might also be called a strike.
Slow Pitch Stickball
In slow pitch stickball, the pitcher stands about 40 to 50 feet away from the batter. The pitcher throws the ball so it bounces once before the batter hits it. This makes it a bit easier to hit the ball.
Fungo Style Stickball
In fungo, the batter doesn't need a pitcher. The batter simply tosses the ball into the air and hits it as it comes down, or after it bounces one or more times.
Getting Outs and Home Runs
Just like in baseball, a batter is out if a fielder catches the ball before it hits the ground. There are other ways to get out too, depending on the local rules. If the ball lands on a roof, a porch, or breaks a window far away, it's usually counted as a home run! How far the ball travels often decides if it's a single, double, or triple.
In some versions of stickball, players don't run the bases. But in many leagues, like the New York Emperors Stickball League, batters run the bases just like in regular baseball.
When stickball is played in tight spaces, like across a street, there's usually no running. Instead, singles, doubles, triples, and home runs are decided by how high the ball hits a building across the street. For example, a ball hit onto a rooftop is a home run. If a ground ball is caught after one bounce, it's usually an out. Pop-ups caught in the air are also outs.
Other Stickball Variations
- In Boston, players often use a cut ice hockey stick instead of a broomstick. This can give the ball more "pop" when hit.
- Sometimes, a "loaded wiffle bat" is used. This is a Wiffle bat that's been cut, filled with wet newspaper or superballs, and then taped up.
- "Monkey ball" is a fun rule in slow pitch where fielders can throw the ball at baserunners to get them out, instead of tagging a base.
- "Pitchers poison" is another rule where fielders can throw the ball directly to the pitcher on the mound to get a runner out, instead of throwing it to a base.
- Burby, also called fast-pitch stickball, started in Toronto in the late 1970s. It's similar to American stickball but often uses a wooden bat and tennis balls. The name "burby" might come from it being a sport played in the suburbs.
Long ago, many Native American cultures in the eastern United States played a game similar to stickball. This old game is actually the ancestor of modern-day lacrosse. They used hickory sticks and a ball made from deer hair or hide.
See also
In Spanish: Stickball para niños
