Baseball of Yesterday & Today “19th Century Baseball” paired with young American Legion Teams Sunday, June 25, 2023 8:30am-9pm

Team Rockingham, playing for Portsmouth.

Free Family Fun at Historic Leary Field!
Celebrating Portsmouth’s and Dover’s 400th Anniversaries

Portsmouth, New Hampshire – “Baseball’s History and Evolution” is the highlight of a day of free family fun at Portsmouth’s historic Leary Field as Dover and Portsmouth join forces to celebrate their respective 400th anniversaries. The event, Sunday June 25, 2023, 8:30 am-9 pm, will feature a double header - two nine inning games with two teams from the Essex Base Ball Association (EBBA) from Newbury, Massachusetts. These "base ball reenactors" play baseball using rules from the 1860s, wear period uniforms and use period equipment. The Lowell Nine team will play as Dover against the Portsmouth Rockinghams (named after a team that played out of Portsmouth in the 1860s) who will play as Portsmouth. The day will also feature games with teen players from local Portsmouth American Legion Frank Booma Post 6, Dover American Legion Post 8 and Exeter American Legion Post 32. The combination of vintage base ball games and teen players of today will allow fans to experience both the origins of the sport and its current evolution while cheering for both their favorite vintage teams and local young teams. And as a bonus warm up to the vintage double header, adult players from Dover and Portsmouth will play three innings against the vintage team.

Mary Lyons, former Portsmouth High School Principal, spoke about the importance of including the younger players, “By including the American Legion Baseball teams whose players range from 13 to 19 years old, we are bringing in the younger generations so they and spectators can see the origin of the game and by the end of the day see the evolution of the sport. It’s a perfect vintage-to-contemporary baseball day!”

And Jeanette Poulin, Executive Director of Dover 400, reflected on this collaborative anniversary event.  “We are thrilled to see our communities come together for this unique and exciting event. The vintage baseball game between Dover and Portsmouth offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our shared history and love for America’s pastime.   We are looking forward to this thrilling clash of historic rivals as they battle it out on the diamond.  Let’s play ball!”

Event Details
Baseball of Yesterday & Today
Celebrating Dover & Portsmouth NH 400th Anniversaries
Sunday, June 25, 2023 8:30 am - 9 pm at historic Leary Field; no charge for admission
155 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, NH, 03801

Event Schedule
8:30 am – Color Guard – National Anthem; recognition of Legionnaires and American Legion Clubs (Prep: 15 and younger; Junior: 17 and younger; Senior: 19 and younger)
9–11 am Game One - Honorary first pitches by Dover and Portsmouth mayors, games start with the youngest local American Legion teams playing - Prep Divisions, Dover vs Portsmouth
11-11:15 am - Attendees will hear brief history and rules of the 1800s sport from Brian Sheehy of the Essex Base Ball Association
11:15-noon - Game Two - As a warm up to the noon doubleheader, a team of adult Portsmouth and Dover players will challenge the vintage team for three innings.
12:15-3:30 pm - Games Three and Four - a double header - two nine inning games featuring two teams from the Essex Base Ball Association (EBBA) from Newbury, Massachusetts. These "base ball re-enactors" play baseball using rules from the 1860s, wear period uniforms and use period equipment. The Lowell Nine play as the Dover team vs the Portsmouth Rockinghams as the Portsmouth team.
3:30-4 pm Attendees will hear the history and importance of American Legion Teams
4-6 pm Game Five Junior Division, Dover vs Portsmouth American Legion Teams
7-9 pm Game Six Senior Division, Exeter Post 32 vs Portsmouth American Legion Team.

A rosewood bat which will be used by Brian Sheehy, President of the Essex Base Ball Association, during the vintage games, will be donated to the City of Portsmouth. It was copied from an original 1860s bat in the Portsmouth Historical Society collection that was awarded the Portsmouth Rockinghams after a game against their Concord rivals. According to Tom Watson, “No ordinary bat, it is made of rosewood and bears a silver plate, inscribed, ‘Presented to the member of the Rockingham Nine making the best score in the second match between the Kearsarge Club of Concord and the Rockingham Club of Portsmouth, Sept. 11, 1866.’”

In addition to the game
Concessions - The Leary Field Concession Stand will be operating throughout the day
Merchandise available Show your Portsmouth Team Spirit by purchasing your own 3/4 sleeve PNH400 Baseball shirt here: https://www.portsmouthnh400.org/portsmouth-nh-400-mercantile/p/34-sleeve-raglan-shirt

Event sponsors include Essex Base Ball Association; Patty B’s Restaurant; Lyons Law Office and CP Management; Portsmouth NH 400; and Dover 400

About American Legion baseball
American Legion baseball was created after soldiers returned from WWII. According to Dave Rouleau, Team Manager of Dover Post 8, “Every town should be very proud of these kids.  They are good young men. This is the last amateur baseball they can play for their towns before going to college or being drafted into Major League Baseball (MLB), as they are scouted by both college coaches and the MLB. A lot of them play college baseball. For the younger ones just starting, it’s an important part of their life because they want to play at the higher level, either in college or MLB. Every major baseball team has American Legion players.” For more information, visit https://www.legion.org/baseball/history

About 19th Century Base Ball - please visit
https://essexbaseball.wordpress.com/  https://www.facebook.com/essexbaseball/

About Portsmouth NH 400
The goal of Portsmouth NH 400th is to give the community an inclusive opportunity to tell the stories that are important to them, through programs, events, exhibits and legacy projects. Portsmouth NH 400th will celebrate the diverse and animated social, political, intellectual, cultural, economic and spiritual history of Portsmouth from before settlement in 1623 to the present. Portsmouth NH 400th invites individuals and organizations considering programs and events for the Portsmouth NH 400th Anniversary celebration to join the collaborative effort. A key intention is for the Portsmouth NH 400th team to engage the next generation(s) in exploring what the City’s 2023 legacy might be and how they might steward Portsmouth and its history beyond 2023. The Portsmouth NH 400th anniversary celebrations are made possible in part thanks to the support of Bank of America, Piscataqua Savings Bank, Service Credit Union, Local IQ, VisitNH.Gov, members of the 400 Shoalers Club and 1623 Revolutionaries Club, and additional sponsors and donors. For more information, please visit PortsmouthNH400.org