Did you know baseball didn't always have innings? Baseball teams used to play until one team reached a certain number of counts, a.k.a. runs. But what's even more fascinating about the early baseball days is that pitchers didn't used to try to strike batters out — they were instructed to throw the ball in an easy-to-hit way.
Those are just some of the early sports rules our sister site Mental Floss explains in this week's episode of their weekly video series, hosted by author John Green. Among the other facts: 18 basketball players were once allowed on the court at the same time, and billiards was originally played outdoors and was inspired by croquet. Check out all of the early sports rules in the video below. --Meghan DeMaria
The Week
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