Oregon Ganymedes fall in Second Class championship at historic base ball tourney in Michigan

DEARBORN, Michigan — It came with a bit of drama Sunday morning, but the Oregon Ganymedes advanced to the championship game of the Second Class division at 21st annual World Tournament of Historic Base Ball.

The Ganymedes, Oregon’s official vintage “base ball” team, led 10-3 and looked like they were going to cruise into the 12:30 p.m. championship before the Capitals scored four runs in the fifth inning and two in the seventh.

But the Ganymedes looked to add another run on the scoreboard when Aaron “Two Bits” Berg tagged at third and headed home on a long fly ball to left field. And that’s where the drama arrived.

The Capital’s left fielder moved under the ball, settled and appeared to catch the ball but then artistically juggled it while running toward the infield. Berg stopped then started again to home, but was called out by a “judgement” by the umpire who said the ball had never “settled”.

Vintage rules base ball (spelled as two words in the 1800s) is played with authentic-looking uniforms, no gloves, with “gentlemanly” conduct strongly encouraged. 1860s’ game demeanor includes no arguing of calls and no profanity.

So, despite an appeal by Ganymedes Captain Mark Herman, the inning was over and the Capitals were at bat with one inning left to play, since tournament games are limited to 80 minutes.

The Capitals put a runner on the base with two outs when second baseman Justin “Butter” Early stretched to reach a throw from catcher Tom “The Dandy” Lesniak. Early made the catch, but didn’t tag the runner. However, in 1860s’ rules a tag was not required and after the play Herman appealed and this time the call went in the Ganymedes’ favor.

The win was the second for the Ganymedes, who opened the 12-team tournament with a 15-8 win over the Regulars BBC of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, but then fell to the Canton Cornhuskers, of Canton, Michigan, 13-8.

In the championship game against the Columbus Buckeyes of Columbus, Ohio, the Ganymedes trailed 3-2 after the first inning, but then saw the Buckeyes score nine in the second and despite a six-run, fourth inning, Oregon fell 21-14.

“The second inning was tough,” Herman said after the game. “They were hitting the ball well and started doing a Conga line around the bases.”

Fueled with hits by Eric “The Liberator” Berg and Ryan “Morty” Mortlock, the Ganymedes battled back in the fourth inning scoring six on the Buckeyes, which included a deep bullet to center field by Matt “Old Hickory” Gecan that bounced off the fence surrounding the railroad tracks that border the fields.

Home runs are not awarded for balls hit over the fence. Instead, a ground-rule double was awarded.

Oregon scored one run in the fifth inning, but the Buckeyes scored five in the sixth to the Ganymedes’ two and four in the seventh to Oregon’s three.

“We didn’t give up. Our guys battled back and it was a good effort,” said Herman.

There was no award given for third place in the Second Class division, but Oregon once again won the award for the team coming the farthest.

The tournament was held inside Greenfield Village, an attraction next to the Henry Ford Museum that features historic 19th and early 20th century buildings, items, and structures collected by Henry Ford.

The tournament honors the long legacy of base ball in the Midwest. In 1867, Detroit played host to the World’s Base Ball Tournament, and 24 clubs from the United States and Canada took the field to compete in the game that was fast becoming the national pastime.

Teams competed for the original rosewood trophy bat awarded to the Unknowns of Jackson, Michigan, for winning the first-class division in the 1867 World’s Tournament in Detroit.

A tent near field one offered visitors a look at vintage base ball lore, including an original copy of Haney’s Base Ball Book of Reference for 1867, the rule book written by Henry Chadwick and used for the World’s Tournament and for the Greenfield Village historic base ball program, along with an array of period base ball artifacts from the mid-19th century on exhibit in the Walnut Grove field tent.

The Ganymedes, formed in 2005, play their home games near the Chana School Museum at Oregon Park East.