This Is What Baseball In Toronto Looked Like Over 100 Years Ago (VIDEO)

The Toronto Maple Leafs...baseball team?
This Is What Baseball In Toronto Looked Like Over 100 Years Ago (VIDEO)
Morgan Cameron Ross
Contributor

While some Torontonians may associate the Blue Jays and the Skydome — now Rogers Centre — with the origin of baseball in the city, its history can actually be traced much further and includes a non-hockey team known as the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In Narcity’s new Then&Now series, which brings Toronto’s past to life, we take a look back at what the sport really looked like in the 6ix over a hundred years ago and how it has evolved since.

Editor's Choice: This Canadian 'Superstore' Star Is A Big Blue Jays Fan & Says It's 'Part Of My Identity'

While baseball was played in the city throughout the 19th century, it really started to take shape in 1897 with the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team and their new home, Hanlan’s Point stadium.

But it wasn’t a seamless transition from then to now, as devastating fires, multiple stadiums, and trains all factored into the transformation of what the sport looks like in the city today.

And, much like what the uncertainty regarding the future home of baseball in Toronto may have seemed like over a hundred years ago, the fate of the current home of the Toronto Blue Jays remains up in the air. Watch here!

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  • Lance McMillan
    Associate Photo Editor Lance McMillan is a Toronto based photojournalist who is focused on telling stories visually. Lance's photography has been published in numerous newspapers and magazines including National Geographic and his images have earned him awards including a 2nd Place in the 74th Pictures of the Year International (POYi), a Finalist in the 2019 Travel Photographer of the Year, and an Award of Excellence in the 78th Pictures of the Year International (POYi). To Lance, the power of telling stories through not just the written word, but through images, and the passion he has for doing so, cannot be overstated. This is particularly true when it comes to telling stories about nature and wildlife, striving to provide insight into the vulnerability of our environment and its inhabitants.

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