The Rams get the gridiron, the Cardinals get the baseball diamond and the Blues get the ice. The players of St. Louis’ native pastime, though, get the city’s streets. This game originated in the heart of St. Louis and is still being played today in organized leagues or just for fun. It’s known as corkball, and although it may not be the most prominent sport in a city with so much pride in its teams, corkball is certainly one that makes up the character of St. Louis.
How Corkball is Played
As a tangent on baseball, corkball is played with a ball and a bat. However, both objects are miniature compared to that of the parent sport. At least two players must be present and five is the usual limit for players per team. The fast-pitch game can be played pretty much anywhere with enough room, such as a field, cage or alley. There are no base runners in corkball. Instead, distances are marked off to determine the quality of the hit. Normal rules include the following per hit:
- One strike or a foul ball is an out
- A hit traveling 15 to 150 feet is a single
- A hit traveling 150 to 200 feet is a double
- A hit traveling 200 to 250 feet is a triple
- A hit traveling beyond 250 feet is a homerun
Just like baseball, three outs end the inning, and catching a ball in the air counts as an out. Runners are kept track of on paper and move as far as the base hit. So, a runner on first would move to third if the next batter hit a double. Five balls are considered a walk, and the pitcher should be 55 feet from home plate.
How Corkball Was Created
The only thing we know for sure about corkball is it originated in St. Louis; however, there are many theories about the origin of the game. As far as accounts can prove, corkball was played as early as the early 1900s. One of the more common ideas about the origin of corkball is that it evolved from a game of trying to hit bottle caps.
Another popular theory is that brewery workers invented the game. They would use a mop handle as a bat and the cork for wooden barrels as the ball. Either way, for the game’s aficionados, a corkball game is still as anticipated as the 2015 Mustang release date. Since the genesis of the game, World War 2 helped spread it thanks to Howard Rackley teaching the game to non-St. Louisians at Bunker Hill on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Corkball’s Tall Tales
What kind of a pastime would corkball be if it wasn’t accompanied by its own legends and tales? Well, this sport has many. One of the more far-fetched stories of corkball is that “Hammering” Hank Stoverink once hit a homerun over a road, down a large hill and into the Mississippi River which carried it all the way to the Caribbean where it would eventually be lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Another legend of the game, claimed by Don Young, is that a corkball game once ended the score of one half of a run to zero—the lowest score in the game’s history. According to the story, Young split a ball in half when he hit it. One half was caught by an opposing player while the other half went far enough for a homerun. Compromise between the two teams ended with Young’s team being awarded half of a run, which would turn out to be the only score of the game.
Many people probably have never heard of corkball. After all, it’s not exactly one of the most traditional sports. Nonetheless, it is still played in St. Louis – and other states – today. If you’re interested in trying corkball, find some friends and get started today!
Scott Huntington is a writer, reporter, blogger, and long-time sports fan. Follow Scott at @SMHuntington
