In at least one version of the game, teams pitched to themselves, runners went around the bases in the opposite direction of today's game, much like in the Nordic brännboll, and players could be put out by being hit with the ball.
Early forms of baseball had a number of names, including 'base ball', 'goal ball', 'round ball', 'fetch-catch', 'stool ball', and, simply, 'base'. Baseball and the other modern bat, ball, and running games – stoolball, cricket and rounders – were developed from folk games in early Britain, Ireland, and Continental Europe (such as France and Germany). The question of the origins of baseball has been the subject of debate and controversy for more than a century. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
