Baseball is going back in time on O‘ahu, as the Aloha Vintage Base Ball Association celebrates the game’s origins by playing under 1886 rules, complete with reproduced equipment, including 10-ounce mitts and 40-ounce bats.
The league’s mission goes beyond nostalgia. Organizers aim to preserve and share Hawai‘i’s unique place in baseball history, dating back to the reign of King Kalakaua.
“Coming from Hawai‘i, I don’t think people realize that Hawai‘i has a rich history going back to King Kalakaua’s time,” said Chester Sebastian who plays for the Waikiki Baseball Club. “We just want to do this the best way we can and represent Hawai‘i the best way we can with this project.”
League founder Matias Solario added that the vintage league connects sport and history in a deeper way.
“It provides a great outlet for escapism, but it’s also a soft form of resilience,” Solario said. “We play by 1886 rules, when Hawai‘i was still a sovereign nation, so we get to tell those stories, too. Baseball history often gets folded into a U.S. narrative, but with this, we can tell the story of baseball in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.”
Currently, the league features two teams, the Royal Hawaiian Baseball Club and the Waikiki Baseball Club, with a third expected soon. Sebastian said their dream is to expand and compete with teams across the mainland and even internationally.
“The dream is to maybe play other teams from all over the states, even internationally,” he said. “Japan would be nice. We want to bring those teams here, too.”
This weekend, the association will host the Kalakaua Baseball Jubilee at Cartwright Field in Honolulu, celebrating both the sport and its deep roots in the islands.
For more information, including how to join the Aloha Vintage Base Ball Association, click here.