<P> The earliest known published rules of baseball in the United States were written in 1845 for a New York City `` base ball '' club called the Knickerbockers . The purported organizer of the club , Alexander Cartwright , is one person commonly known as `` the father of baseball '' . The rules themselves were written by the two - man Committee on By - Laws , Vice-President William R. Wheaton and Secretary William H. Tucker . One important rule , the 13th , outlawed `` soaking '' or `` plugging '' , putting a runner out by hitting him with a thrown ball , introducing instead the concept of the tag ; this reflected the use of a farther - traveling and potentially injurious hard ball . Another significant rule , the 15th , specified three outs to an inning for the first time instead of `` one out , all out '' or `` all out , all out . '' The 10th rule prescribed foul lines and foul balls and the 18th forbade runners advancing on a foul , unlike the `` Massachusetts game '' in which all batted balls were in play . The Knickerbockers also enlarged the diamond well beyond that of town ball , possibly to modern size depending on how `` paces '' is interpreted . </P>
<P> The earliest known published rules of baseball in the United States were written in 1845 for a New York City `` base ball '' club called the Knickerbockers . The purported organizer of the club , Alexander Cartwright , is one person commonly known as `` the father of baseball '' . The rules themselves were written by the two - man Committee on By - Laws , Vice-President William R. Wheaton and Secretary William H. Tucker . One important rule , the 13th , outlawed `` soaking '' or `` plugging '' , putting a runner out by hitting him with a thrown ball , introducing instead the concept of the tag ; this reflected the use of a farther - traveling and potentially injurious hard ball . Another significant rule , the 15th , specified three outs to an inning for the first time instead of `` one out , all out '' or `` all out , all out . '' The 10th rule prescribed foul lines and foul balls and the 18th forbade runners advancing on a foul , unlike the `` Massachusetts game '' in which all batted balls were in play . The Knickerbockers also enlarged the diamond well beyond that of town ball , possibly to modern size depending on how `` paces '' is interpreted . </P>
started the knickerbocker base ball club true inventor of baseball
started the knickerbocker base ball club true inventor of baseball
Alexander Cartwright
Alexander Cartwright