Baseball played the old way

Each Sunday afternoon, a group of men from Long Island gather at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration to share a passion — vintage baseball.

The New York Mutuals were a baseball team from 1857 to 1876, and were one of the original eight National League teams. In 1979, the Mutuals were re-established as a vintage baseball club, which plays against other vintage teams using the 1864 baseball rules.

Wantagh resident Ed Pecinka has been a part of the Mutuals for four years. He says the biggest difference between today’s baseball rules and the 1864 rules is that fielders do not use baseball gloves. “It is a bit different but the game is the same,” Pecinka said. “It is more of a strategic game.”

For example, using the 1864 rules, a ball fielded on one bounce is an out. Pecinka says this makes ground balls and line drives more effective than swinging for power.

For Pecinka, the Mutuals have become a part of his family. His son, Ryan, is a current member of the club, and his other son, Connor, is a junior Mutual. “It is a great way to spend an afternoon together,” Ed Pecinka said.

Ryan Pecinka was the first one in his family to join the Mutuals. His former high school teacher, Bill Bogatz, a member of the Mutuals, encouraged Ryan to try out vintage baseball. “It is a tough game but everyone is welcoming,” says Ryan. “The atmosphere is great.”

Through various newspaper articles and the Conan O’Brien show, Ed Pecinka had grown familiar with the vintage baseball. He says he had been thinking about trying it out for 20 years. After joining his son for a game, Ed became a member of the Mutuals as well.

“It is a fun time to play with my dad,” Ryan Pecinka says. “He has coached me in baseball all my life and now I have the opportunity to play with him.”

Much like any other baseball team, the Mutuals have a manager. Thomas Fioriglio has been the captain of the Mutuals for four years. Fioriglio says as captain he handles any managerial decisions such as the batting order and pitching changes.

Fioriglio, a social studies teacher at Seaford High School, grew up watching the Mutuals play at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

Throughout the season, the Mutuals travel to various places such as an old fort in Albany, sites in Pennsylvania like the Gettysburg war grounds, and even Cooperstown to participate in vintage baseball tournaments.

Ed Pecinka says his favorite place to play is on Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. “People such as Babe Ruth played on that field,” he says. “Just to play on that field is a great thing.”

Each member of the Mutuals receives a nickname that they will go by. According to Ryan Pecinka, these nicknames are given out to each member shortly after they first join the team. The nicknames are usually based on their play or something unique about the person.

Ryan Pecinka’s nickname, “Tiger,” was given to him based on a Detroit Tigers sweatshirt he was wearing when he first joined the club. For Fioriglio, his nickname “Dirt” was given to him after he tripped on a divot in the ground while running to first base.