Baseball teams are returning to parks across the country, preparing for 2023 Opening Day on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
All 30 teams will play in 15 games which will be the first time since 1968 that every Major League Baseball team starts the season on the same day!
Opening Day will mark the start of the 162-game regular season played over 213 days. So as you’re preparing to root for the home team, grab your 3D pen and doodle a team baseball hat!
America’s National Pastime
The National Baseball Hall of Fame explains that while Abner Doubleday – a decorated Union Army officer who fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter at the start of the Civil War and later served at the Battle of Gettysburg – is credited with inventing baseball in 1839 in Cooperstown, NY, there is still debate about the origins of the game.
Regardless of how baseball started, it evolved with the country and became known as America’s national pastime by the last half of the 19th century. Through the years, baseball played a role in the two world wars, civil rights, equal access and opportunity on and off the playing field, and much more, as described in the book Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives.
Even if you can’t travel to Cooperstown, you can explore the sport’s rich history through several online exhibits. Check them out and understand more about the players, the uniforms, and critical events in American history!
Swing, batter, batter!
Baseball began as an amateur sport. The first known professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who played their first game in 1869 as members. The Reds recruited cricket players and developed their skills to become one of the more successful National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) teams. As competition heated up, baseball clubs were in a hurry to attract the most valuable players. From there, clubs and teams evolved quickly.
By 1870, the cost of employing professional ballplayers became challenging. As a result, the Cincinnati club’s board elected to refrain from fielding a team for 1871. Instead, many of the players left Cincinnati for Boston. They formed the Boston Red Stockings, who went on to win four straight league championships (1872-1875) before becoming part of the National League. Today the franchise is known as the Atlanta Braves.
The New York Yankees started in 1903 as the New York Highlanders. The Yankees have won 27 World Series titles and 40 American League pennants. However, the team wasn’t always this successful. Their stroke of luck came when they acquired Babe Ruth in 1920 from the Boston Red Sox.
The history of the sport is long and storied. Explore the origins of your hometown team — you might be surprised by what you learn.
Seventh-Inning Stretch
Cheer on your favorite team and take a creativity break by making a custom baseball hat. So naturally, with 3Doodler based in New York City, we created a Yankee’s hat and a Mets’ hat using the 3Doodler Start+ and Create+ 3D pens.
With a few simple tips, a 3D pen, plastic, and our free stencil, you’ll be on your way to creating baseball hats for all the MLB fans.
Use your DIY baseball hats as decor for an office or bedroom shelf or perhaps as a cake or cupcake topper. 3Doodler’s tutorial and stencil library is full of fantastic sporty designs from soccer to football or basketball. The choice is yours!
