The “A Pitch For Doc Adams” events kicked off on June 9, 2024 at Stroh Field, Hilltop Farm. Suffield, CT. The weather wasn’t the greatest; however, it cooperated enough to play and the ballists made the best of it.

The Westfield Wheelmen hosted the first-ever Old Tyme Base Ball Festival on June 8 and 9 in Suffield. The lineup included eight teams from around the Northeast. The team organized the two-day baseball festival June 8 and 9 at Hill Top Farm so people can step back in time and experience America’s favorite pastime as it was played in a simpler time. Besides the Wheelmen, the Mudville Baseball Club, the Lisbon Tunnelmen, the Hartford Bulldogs, the Saugerties Base Ball Club, the Dirigo Base Ball Club, the Providence Grays, and the Mountain Athletic Club were all on hand for the festivities.

“… in a world craving a taste of authentic, old-fashioned fun, the Old Tyme Base Ball Festival promises to deliver an experience that will transport players and fans back to baseball’s glorious days of the past.

The crack of the bat, the scent of freshly mowed grass, and the sight of players adorned in vintage uniforms will whisk you away to an era of simpler pleasures and everlasting memories,” said Genovese, who is the author of three books about Westfield’s baseball history.

“This style of play was from a time before baseball gloves or protective equipment and baggy wool uniforms. The rule sets can range from American Civil War style through a more ‘modern’ style played in the 1880s and 1890s,”

Dan Genovese, the founder of the Westfield Wheelmen, “Westfield team to host vintage ‘base ball’ festival in Suffield”, The Reminder