Games like baseball: A list of games that share some similarities with baseball

Thousands of professional and amateur sports exist around the world. Some games share similarities in how they are played and equipment used. Baseball is one of the most popular sports, but it is not the only one of its kind. Dig into this article for a detailed list of games like baseball played around the world.

What sports are most like baseball? Sports Brief has used varied data sources to compile this list of games, such as baseball, to enrich your next game day with family or friends.

Are there games like baseball?

Primarily, baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played by two teams, each with nine players. It shares similar characteristics to cricket, softball, rounders, and brännboll. Scroll down for a comprehensive deep dive into the world of bat and ball games played around the world.

What is baseball, and how do you play it?

Baseball is a game played on a square-shaped diamond field that lasts at least nine innings. In each inning, teams bat and field in turns. The designated batter or hitter puts the ball in play against an opposing team's pitcher.

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Top 10 ball games like baseball played around the world

There are over 8,000 different types of sports fans enjoy globally, but only a few are comparable to baseball. Here is a comprehensive list of games that are similar to baseball.

10. Stoolball

• Year founded: 1450
• Place of origin: England
• Played in: England
• Venue: Indoor and outdoor

In the 60s, stoolball was regarded as a sport played by ladies only in Sussex and Kent. The sport is believed to be over 500 years old. Like in baseball, bowlers pitch with underhand throws towards the batters who aim to score as many runs as possible.

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However, unlike baseball, the batters play in twos and must run down the left side of the playing area and touch the wicket. Fielders retrieve the ball. If the ball is retrieved before the batters touch the wicket, they are declared ‘out’.

9. Ta kurt om el mahag

• Year founded: 1930's
• Place of origin: Libya
• Played in: Libya
• Venue: Outdoor

Ta kurt om el mahag or Om el mahag is a traditional sport played in Libya, as published by Ourgame. The sport, which translates to ‘the ball of the pilgrim's mother,’ is played exclusively by Berber tribes of the Gebel Nefusa in Libya.

Two teams play the sport, each under a captain known as a sciek. Like baseball, the batting team, the darraba, hits the ball as far as possible, allowing team members to run to the mahag and back to the home base. The opposing team, the fajadah, attempts to stop this by catching the ball and hitting a member of the batting team.

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8. Stickball

• Year founded: 1729
• Place of origin: Choctaw lands, Southeast United States
• Played in: United States of America
• Venue: Outdoor

Itti' kapochcha to'li (the little brother of war) or stickball began in the 18th century. According to Chickasaw, early Native American tribes played the sport as a ceremonial tradition to settle conflicts over land and politics.

Today, the time-honoured tradition is played as a street game with a rubber ball and a stick. It is also an enduring tradition practised among the Chickasaws and Choctaw people.

7. Nanshiki baseball

Nanshiki yakyu is a Japanese variant of baseball. Played primarily in Japan, it shares various similarities with baseball, allowing players to join and excel in major baseball leagues.

Nanshiki yakyu ball can be soft or hard, depending on the players. Elementary and junior high school children use softer balls because they are lighter and slower than those used by high school and university students.

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• Year founded: 1800s
• Place of origin: Japan
• Played in: Japan
• Venue: Outdoor

6. Pesäpallo

Pesäpallo is Finland's national sport, played between two teams of nine to twelve players. How different is pesäpallo from baseball? Unlike baseball, the hitter stands close to the batter and hits the ball vertically, as reported by Pesis. The offensive team (batting team) run through the bases in a zig-zag manner.

• Year founded: 1920s
• Place of origin: Finland
• Played in: Finland
• Venue: Outdoor

5. Welsh baseball

British or Welsh baseball has existed since the 1930s. According to Rbiwales, Welsh baseball has similar features to American baseball, such as the number of innings, the players, scoring, pitching, field size, equipment, and scoring systems.

How do you play Welsh baseball? Two teams of eleven players clash in two innings until all players are dismissed or stranded on the base. The bowler delivers the ball with an underarm throw. Unlike baseball, barters run to a nearby base, not the home plate.

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• Year founded: 1892
• Place of origin: United Kingdom
• Played in: United Kingdom
• Venue: Outdoor

4. Rounders

What is the difference between rounders and baseball? Baseball is a competitive professional sport in structured organisations, while rounders are in friendly and informal circles.

Rounders is one of the most famous games, along with baseball and cricket. The UK Rules state that bowlers in rounders hurl the ball for the batter to strike. After the ball is thrown, runners bolt to the next base to score the batter.

• Year founded: 1700s
• Place of origin: United Kingdom
• Played in: Worldwide
• Venue: Outdoors

3. Brännboll

Brännboll is a bat and ball game played in professional and amateur circles in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany. It is also known as fireball, brentball, slåball, and rundbold and shares similarities with longball and baseball.

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With ten players on each team, a batter throws, hits the ball, and runs around the court before the opposing team catches it. If the opposing team catches the ball and the batter has not completed the lap, the burner declares them ‘burnt’.

• Year founded: 1700s
• Place of origin: Scandinavia
• Played in: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Germany
• Venue: Indoor and outdoor

2. Cricket

Baseball and cricket have similar features, such as bat, ball, protective gear, runs, batters, and batsmen. However, differences, such as the number of players, innings, and playing styles, distinguish them. International cricket has three different formats: Test matches, One-Day Internationals, and Twenty20 Internationals.

• Year founded: 1600s
• Place of origin: West Indies
• Played in: Worldwide
• Venue: Outdoor

1. Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of ten players each. Its balls are larger than baseballs. In baseball, pitching is done underhand and is played on a larger diamond, unlike softball, which is played on a smaller field.

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• Year founded: 1877
• Place of origin: Chicago, United States of America
• Played in: Worldwide
• Venue: Outdoor

Other games like baseball

Other notable sports like baseball played in countries globally include:

1. Bat and Trap
2. Palant
3. Da-ga
4. Genna
5. Gilli Danda
6. Seker-hemat
7. Lapta
8. Beeball

Frequently asked questions

The similarities between baseball and other sports also transcend to video games. Have a look at interesting facts about the contest and others like it.

1. Are there games like baseball boy?

Baseball Boy is an action video game that allows players to go the distance and hit the baseball as hard as possible. According to IGDB, sports-action video games that match it include Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2019 and Flappy Dunk.

Football games like baseball boy include Real Football 2014 to 2019, Cartoon Network Superstar Soccer: Goal!!!, Score! Hero, and Madden NFL 20.

2. Which video games are like Baseball heroes?

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Baseball heroes is a classic simulation video game that allows players to choose their team and play in a friendly or league match. Games like Baseball Century are also Major League Baseball simulation video games.

RAWG lists various action-sport games, including OlympicVR, 3D MiniGolf, Soccer Manager 2018, Family Mini Golf, Drift-io, and Puzzles and Board Games Mega Collection. One such simulation-like basketball game similar to Baseball Heroes is Space Jam: A New Legacy: Game.

3. Are there video games like Baseball 9?

Baseball 9 is a fast-paced sports action video game that allows players to enjoy every detail of the sport. These include recruiting, training and leading player sims in the Legend League Championship.

Similar video games include NBA 2K19 and 20, Play Ball, MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2021,eFootball PES 2020, Grid, Pawapuro-kun Pocket 8 to 10 and Pawapuro-kun Pocket R.

Final word

Baseball is one of the most popular professional sports played by 65 million people in over 140 countries worldwide. However, a deep dive into history and culture reveals numerous games like baseball played worldwide.

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READ ALSO: What is softball? Rules, history, and facts of the sport

Sports Brief has published an article on softball's history, origin and other facts. The report covers every detail about the sport, including its invention story, rule changes over the years and how it is played. Click on the link above for an exhaustive report on softball.