He relaxed by playing sports with the ball

The British game of "rounders" served as the inspiration for baseball, which is sometimes referred to as America's national pastime. In the 1700s, children predominantly played rounders, a simpler variation of cricket, in Britain and the British colonies in North America (and later in the United States in the 1800s). Additionally, it was referred to as "baseball." A variation is known as "town ball" was played by adults in various colonies, including Massachusetts. All of these pick-up games had a pitcher throwing a ball, an opponent hitting it with a stick or bat, and a batter attempting to advance to one or more bases. Fielders "put out" runners by throwing the ball at them; this is referred to as "soaking." There were few, if any, set regulations for the game, and decisions about the number of players on a team, the number of bases, and the separations between bases were frequently left to regional custom or pre-game discussions.

In 1820, Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr. was born. His father was a maritime trader in New York City, and he was one of seven children. Children of Esther Rebecca Cartwright and Alexander Cartwright Sr. were reared in the city. He worked as a bank clerk after dropping out of school at the age of 16. Later, he also joined the volunteer fire department. He enjoyed playing bat and ball sports in the streets and neighborhood parks during his free time. A social club was first established by his friends, many of whom worked as volunteer firefighters with him at Oceana Hose Company No.36, as a way to unwind after arduous shifts. To distinguish it from the "Massachusetts game" of "town ball," their pastime became known as the "New York game." By the early 1940s, he and his group of neighborhood volunteer firefighters had established their baseball team, the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York City. It bears the name of the Knickerbocker Engine Company of Manhattan.